On Monday, 6.3 magnitude earthquakes struck in Philippine, and the death toll increased to 11. The worst damage was in the province of Pampanga which has the majority of 11 fatalities as per disaster officials. Many others were also injured by falling rubble including in Manila.
Mayor Condralito Dela Cruz of Porac town said the bodies of four victims were pulled out from Chuzon Supermarket; also three villagers died because of the collapsed house walls .a photographer saw about seven people counting one dead pulled by rescuers from concrete, metal, and wood. There were four cranes used by army troops and police along with sniffer dogs and crowbars to search out for missing ones. Also, authorities took along the tube and inserted into the rubble to blow in oxygen to help people to breathe. Today morning rescuers also pulled out a man alive.
According to Philippine seismologists, More than 400 aftershocks were registered since the first earthquake, out of which some was as strong as 3.4 magnitudes. This 6.1 magnitude earthquake heavily damaged an airport. Worst of the smash-up was in the region of Pampanga. The reported toll could rise as crews fanned out all across the area to assess damage in isolated hamlets which had lost power as well as communications.
This disaster is termed as one the area’s strongest tremors in past years as scores of rescuers in the city of Porac were wielding cranes along with jackhammers to peel back the pancaked concrete structure of the four-floor building. In that building, about 30 people were accounted for. There were many old churched also which damaged due to the quake. These churches were full of worshippers in past days as it was the Easter holiday.
Father Roland Moraleja, who lived in Porac, told media that eighteenth-century belfry of Saint Catherine of Alexandria church collapsed owing to the earthquake. He said ‘sadly it was the only portion left from the old church. Also, the historical value is now gone, however hopefully it will rise up again.’
The authorities had shut down the secondary Clark Airport because of which travelers were stranded. This airport is located on the site of the former US military installation that positioned about an hour’s drive from Philippine. Today also it is still closed as officials noted the heavy damage to the terminal building along with the crack in air traffic control tower.
Actually, Philippines are positioned on the Pacific Ring of Fire and so almost 90 percent of the world’s earthquake strike. The previous earthquake which hit the country was of magnitude 7.2 and which killed about 220 people in 2013 October.
As per U.S. Geological Survey’s preliminary estimation over 49 people exposed to shaking from the quake and 14 million felt moderate shaking or more.
