Spanish
Humanitarian aid efforts continue this Friday in the north of the Philippine island of Cebu, near the epicenter of the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck the archipelago on Tuesday, with at least 68 dead and 366,000 affected, although authorities believe that the number of victims may vary.
The Red Cross reported in a statement that what the affected people need most is drinking water, food, shelter, and medical care and warned that the constant aftershocks of the earthquake continue to pose a threat to safety and delay emergency efforts.
The earthquake occurred at 21:59 local time (13:59 GMT) on Tuesday at a depth of ten kilometers and less than twenty kilometers from the city of Bogo, in the north of Cebu Island.
According to the latest update of official figures, the earthquake leaves at least 68 dead - in contrast to the 72 deaths reported on Thursday - and 559 injured, as well as more than 366,000 people affected, including some 77,000 displaced.
"Please note that the figures may increase or decrease, as the validation of the Management of the Dead and Missing group, led by the Department of the Interior and Local Government, is ongoing," warned the officer in charge of the Communications and Civil Defense Division, Diego Mariano, to the media on the ground.
Entire families have been staying outdoors since Tuesday or in makeshift tents made of plastic and tarpaulins located on the margins of the road that connects Bogo and Cebu City, the provincial capital.
"The needs are immense," says Gwen Pang, secretary general of the Philippine Red Cross, in a statement.
"We understand that the aftershocks are one of the reasons why they don't want to return to their homes. We are providing tents and other items so that they have a temporary place to stay," said the Undersecretary of the Department of Social Welfare, Irene Dumlao, to the ABS-CBN channel, and indicated that the authorities intend to establish a common point for all displaced persons.
Power has been restored to 78.3% of the north of the island, according to data from the authorities cited by the local press, which also reports on moratoriums on public housing payments for those affected by the earthquake, and a donation of 1.5 million pesos (dollars) from the Development Bank of the Philippines to the provincial government of Cebu.
You may be interested in: "El Misionero del 27" wanted for assaults surrenders to the Police
Around 5:30 today (9:39 PM GMT Thursday) a magnitude 5.3 aftershock 33.5 kilometers east of Bogo shook the region again, according to data from the United States Geological Survey. Damage to infrastructure, with at least 11 bridges affected, is another of the challenges facing humanitarian efforts to access the most remote areas of the island, while teams are working hard to restore electricity and telecommunications services. The Philippines sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the areas with the highest seismic and volcanic activity, where about 7,000 earthquakes are recorded each year, most of them of moderate intensity.
