The death toll from the Philippine earthquake rises to 55 dead and 31 missing
Rescue personnel in the southern Philippines on Friday continued removing Obstaclesof roads and the search for missing persons as a result of the strong earthquake that occurred on Monday, despite rain and aftershocks, while the death toll rose to 55 dead.
A government tally issued on Friday reported eight additional deaths, while the number of missing people reached 31, with scattered reports received from local authorities.
Rescue efforts continue
And in In the worst-hit Sarangani province, helicopters are still being used, despite the reopening of many roads, to transport food and water to residents amid power outages, the chief of Disaster Management Rene Punsalan.
He said "Aftershocks are still hampering our work, combined with the rain last night, so we have to suspend the operation for a while"referring to operations in which bulldozers are used to remove large rocks.
As the search for missing people continues, the hope of finding survivors is diminishing, according to Punsalan.
He said "It had been several days since the earthquake, and it would be a miracle if any of them were rescued alive"adding: "Our goal is only to recover their bodies"
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos on Wednesday visited damaged areas in General Santos City, the largest city in the region, including a damaged school and an aid distribution area.
He said that the government would allocate 100 million pesos ($1.6 million) to rebuild the municipal building.
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