MANY STILL BURIED IN 10 M RUBBLE
[PHOTO - QUAKE PANIC:
Residents in Cebu City run scared as reports of a tsunami swept the city after a
6.9-magnitude earthquake shook the Central Visayas metropolis on Monday. The
earthquake's epicenter was placed near Tayasan town in Negros Oriental. The
Philippines lies in the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and is prone to earthquakes and
volcanic eruptions. AFP]
DUMAGUETE CITY, FEBRUARY 7, 2012
(INQUIRER) By Alex Pal, Florence Baesa, Inquirer
Visayas - At least 52 people were killed when a 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit
Negros and Cebu provinces shortly before noon Monday, causing landslides and
huge cracks on highways, and violently shaking buildings, officials said.
A three-story building collapsed, while seven bridges were rendered
impassable, they said.
In Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental, at least 29 people were feared dead
following a landslide in Barangay (village) Planas, Mayor Ernesto Reyes said in
a phone interview. He said there could be more fatalities in other barangays.
"They were buried in 30 feet (10 meters) of soil. If you had been buried from
noon until now (6 p.m.), I don't expect you to be alive," Reyes said.
Rescuers dug with picks and shovels trying to reach dozens of people trapped
under houses that collapsed, according to The Associated Press (AP).
Ten others died due to a landslide at the Guihulngan national road, Reyes
said.
Governor Roel Degamo said a 9-year-old girl, Bernadette Raidan, died when a
wall collapsed in Tayasan town.
Twelve other fatalities were listed by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction
and Management Council. Eight were from Guihulngan, one each from Jimalalud and
Bindoy towns, and two from Tayasan.
The earthquake, which struck at 11:49 a.m., was located 5 kilometers
northwest of Tayasan town in Negros Oriental, and was tectonic in origin. It had
a depth of 10 km. The US Geological Survey placed the magnitude at 6.7.
In Manila, Malacañang urged the people affected by the earthquake to remain
watchful and calm, and to cooperate with the authorities "while the threat of
immediate dangers appears to have passed."
President Benigno Aquino III ordered the National Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Council (NDRRMC) to assess and collate the extent of the damage and
casualties, and to provide the necessary interventions, his spokesperson, Edwin
Lacierda, said in a statement.
Tsunami warning
The temblor also prompted a tsunami warning from the Philippine Institute of
Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), alerting residents near the coastal areas
of Negros and Cebu to watch for unusual waves but not requiring any evacuation.
The alert was canceled after no further reports of unusual sea level changes
were received after the two-hour extended observation period.
But more aftershocks could be expected in the next few weeks in areas near
the epicenter, according to Ishmael Narag, officer in charge of the Phivolcs'
seismology division. As of 1 p.m. Monday, Phivolcs had recorded 16 aftershocks.
[Aftershocks jolt Iloilo, Bacolod : 02/07/2012 2:33 AM Balot pa rin ng
takot ang ilang residente sa Iloilo at Bacolod matapos yanigin ng malakas na
lindol kaninang hapon. Patuloy kasi silang nakakaranas ng malalakas na
aftershocks. Live mula Iloilo City si Joyce Clavecillas. Bandila, Pebrero 6,
2012, Lunes]
WATCH VIDEO:
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/video/nation/regions/02/06/12/aftershocks-jolt-iloilo-bacolod#ooid=cwZmVnMzoHqdw2asuAoI7Ndi-l8R9T7U
The quake triggered another landslide in the mountain village of Solongon in
La Libertad town, also in Negros Oriental. An unknown number of people were
trapped, said Inspector Eric Arrol Besario, the town police chief.
"We're now getting shovels and chainsaws to start a rescue because there were
people trapped inside. Some of them were yelling for help earlier," Besario told
AP by phone. Three key bridges in the town cracked and were no longer passable,
he said.
The earthquake sent shoppers scrambling under tables and workers and students
rushing out of their buildings in cities of Negros and Cebu.
Classes in all public and private schools in Negros Oriental were suspended,
while businesses in Dumaguete City were closed.
Building cracks
[Tsunami fear triggered panic, Bayan Patrollers report:02/07/2012 2:31
AM Hindi rin nagpahuli ang ilang bayan patroller mula Cebu at Dumaguete. Sa mga
video at larawang ipinadala, kitang-kita ang pagkataranta ng mga tao dahil sa
pangamba sa tsunami sa coastal areas ilang minuto pagkatapos ng lindol.
Magba-Bandila si Sol Aragones. Bandila, Pebrero 6, 2012, Lunes ]
WATCH VIDEO:
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/video/nation/regions/02/06/12/tsunami-fear-triggered-panic-bayan-patrollers-report#ooid=hkZWVnMzoPtw_ticKE-3KyGxyf8A4Pd5
In Negros Occidental, the earthquake caused cracks in the city halls of Sagay
and Cadiz, and the city hospital and gymnasium of Himamaylan.
Big waves damaged two houses and an ambulance fell on its side in Barangay
Martilu, La Libertad, according to Mayor Lawrence Limkaichong. Two houses were
also reported damaged in the town of Jimalalud, some 100 kilometers north of
Dumaguete.
Huge waves washed out five bamboo and wooden cottages from a beach resort in
La Libertad, but there were no reports of injuries, said Superintendent Ernesto
Tagle. Elsewhere along the coast, people rushed out of schools, malls and
offices.
Two people died in another town close to the epicenter, Tayasan, including a
child when a concrete fence of a house collapsed, said Benito Ramos, head of the
Office of Civil Defense.
Church wall collapse
Another child was killed in a church when a wall collapsed during a funeral
in Negros Oriental's Jimalalud town, Mayor Reynaldo Tuanda said.
Tayasan police officer Alfred Vicente Silvosa told AP by phone that
aftershocks were preventing people from returning to their homes.
"We are outside, at the town plaza. We cannot inspect buildings yet because
it's dangerous," Silvosa said. "I felt the building shaking, so I rushed out of
the building. Our computers, shelves, plates, the cupboards, water dispenser all
fell."
A three-story office building also collapsed in La Libertad, but occupants
escaped.
Scared cops
The Negros Oriental police chief, Edward Carranza, said police rushed out of
his building when the quake struck. "All my personnel ran out fearing our
building would collapse," he said.
"Now it's shaking again," he said as an aftershock hit. "My keychain is
dancing."
In Negros Occidental, Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia ordered the
suspension of work and classes in all public and private offices and
institutions. He, however, directed the city's disaster team to be on alert and
to inspect buildings for cracks.
In Iloilo City, employees and students rushed out of offices and classrooms
as buildings swayed. Classes in the city and province were suspended in
anticipation of aftershocks. Government employees were sent home in the
afternoon.
A blackout occurred in the city, but power was normalized at 3:45 p.m.
The earthquake was slightly felt in Boracay Island and a few Mindanao and
Luzon provinces.
Medical attention
Guihulngan Mayor Reyes said about 100 people were injured and brought for
treatment to Guihulngan District Hospital and neighboring district hospitals.
Reyes said Guihulngan had about 100 patients who are in need of immediate
medical attention. "We need to transport these patients to Bacolod, Cebu or
Dumaguete but our roads and bridges are impassable," he said.
Food and medicines were waiting in the provincial capital of Dumaguete, but
the aid could not reach the villages in need because of damaged roads and
bridges.
"There is a Canadian and an Indian doctor who are here for an earlier
scheduled medical mission and it's a good thing they are helping us," Reyes
said. "They have some medicines with them but that may not be enough."
All bridges and roads leading to the north and south of the city were
damaged, leaving it isolated, he said. These included the bridges of Martilo in
La Libertad, Pangaluan in Jimalalud town, and Tinayonan in Guihulngan.
Many buildings were damaged, he said. "The Landbank building is leaning on
one side while a portion of our public market collapsed."
Cracks appeared along sections of the national highway and on public and
private buildings, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
said in a statement.
Series of quakes
The first earthquake occurred at 11:49 a.m. with a magnitude of 6.8 and a
depth of 20 km. The epicenter was located 72 km north of Dumaguete, 74 km
west-northwest of Tagbilaran City and 80 km west-southwest of Cebu.
A second tremor hit various areas in the Visayas at 12:03 p.m. at a depth of
34.8 km. The epicenter was located 62 km north of Dumaguete, 69 km
west-northwest of Tagbilaran and 84 km southwest of Cebu.
Still, a third tremor was felt at 12:20 p.m. with a magnitude of 4.8 and a
depth of 34.8 km. The epicenter was located 71 km south-southeast of Bacolod
City, 84 km west-southwest of Cebu and 84 km north of Dumaguete City.
Bobby Cañete of the local Phivolcs station in Palo town in Leyte said that
the series of earthquakes felt in the region was caused by the movement of the
Philippine Sea Plate diving down under eastern Philippines along the Philippine
Trench. With reports from Jhunnex Napallacan, Carla Gomez
and Nestor Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas; Christine O. Avendaño and Leila B.
Salaverria in Manila; and AP
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/phnotweet
This is the PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE (PHNO) Mailing List.
To stop receiving our news items, please send a blank e-mail addressed to: phno-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Please visit our homepage at: http://www.newsflash.org/
(c) Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
-------------------------------------------------------------Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/phno/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/phno/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
phno-digest@yahoogroups.com
phno-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
phno-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
