West Valley Fault

In a tragic turn of events, the death toll from a powerful earthquake that struck the southern Philippines has risen to five, with authorities reporting additional casualties across two provinces. The 6.7-magnitude quake, which rocked the Mindanao region on Friday afternoon, led to a series of unfortunate incidents, including the collapse of a shopping mall ceiling, power cuts, and a widespread panic that forced people to flee into the streets.

The aftermath of the seismic event unfolded with heartbreaking stories of loss. In General Santos City, falling debris from a mall claimed the life of a woman, and 19 others were treated for shock, according to city police captain Ari Noel Cardos. Earlier reports confirmed the tragic death of a couple who were pinned under a collapsing concrete wall in the same city, where around 30 students also required medical attention for breathing difficulties.

Moving to the municipality of Glan in Sarangani province, another fatality occurred as a person was killed by a falling steel structure, as reported by police officer Paul Mesalido. In response to Saturday’s developments, Glan police were dispatched to investigate a reported landslide in a nearby village.

Tragedy also struck in the neighboring Davao Occidental province, where an elderly man lost his life after being struck by a large rock that rolled down a hill near his house, according to police officer Patrick Laurente.

The state seismology service pointed to the Cotabato trench as the likely source of the earthquake. This trench, a long and narrow depression on the seafloor, marks the boundary where one tectonic plate pushes against another, leading to the movement of the earth’s crust and seismic activity.

The Philippines, situated along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” experiences frequent earthquakes due to its location in an arc of intense seismic and volcanic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin. While most earthquakes are too weak to be felt, strong and destructive ones can occur randomly, with current technology unable to predict when and where they will strike.

As communities grapple with the aftermath of this recent earthquake, our thoughts go out to the families affected by these tragic events, and authorities are actively working to assess the extent of the damage and provide necessary assistance.

Source: PhilStar, OneNews.ph