First-hand accounts of eyewitnesses of the Philippines earthquake have emerged, with people terming the tremors as “very strong” and saying they could “hardly stand”.
The death toll in the quake climbed to 32 after at least 17 people were killed in a southern Philippine province, mostly owing to a landslide which was triggered by the tremors, the Associated Press reported.
An offshore 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the southern city of General Santos in the Philippines, killing at least 19 people in its wake and injuring more than 200 others, mostly in damages buildings. It also sent a 1-meter (3-foot) tsunami into nearby coasts, according to AP. General Santos, a port city, is home to more than 700,000 people and is a regional hub for tuna export industry and other commerce.
‘People dashed out of houses’: Eyewitnesses recount strong tremors
The quake, the strongest this year to strike the Philippines, was a “major” one, Teresito Bacolcol, the director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology told AP.
Rod Sosmeña, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense, told AP that the “shaking was very strong and people dashed out of houses into the street.” Sosmena was traveling in the port city of General Santos when the quake hit. “Our pickup truck suddenly jerked and I thought we had a flat tire,” Sosmena recalled.
Another regional disaster response official, Ednar Dayanghirang, said he could “hardly stand and keep my balance when the ground shook as I was leaving my house” in the southern port city of Davao, AP reported.
Buildings collapsing, tsunami warning: All we know about quake
Visuals during the tremors and in the aftermath showed buildings collapsing, with one of them showing a shopping centre with a Jollibee fast food restaurant turning into rubble. “Lord, it has really collapsed! … The building has really collapsed!” someone was heard shouting.
Meanwhile, a tsunami warning was sounded after the quake. Indonesia issued tsunami alerts for parts of Kalimantan and Sulawesi, warning that waves as high as three metres could strike the affected areas, AFP reported, citing the national weather agency.
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology director Bacolcol said a .4-meter (4.6-foot) wave was monitored at one time in the coastal area of Kiamba town in Sarangani. However, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the threat of a tsunami largely passed about five hours after the quake, AP reported.
Meanwhile, the international airport in General Santos faced a temporary closure, with 17 domestic flights cancelled. Schools had reopened nationwide on Monday after the summer vacation, and disaster response official Dayanghirang said more than 100 students attending morning ceremonies in the region sustained bruises, while some fainted in panic.