GENSAN AFTERMATH Police in General Santos City secure the area of a toppled building next to an Iglesia ni Cristo church on Tuesday. —PHOTOS BY AP/BONG SARMIENTO
GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines — Doctors had to treat patients, including a young mother giving birth, in tents set up under a scorching sun on Tuesday, as the number of reported deaths rose past 40 after Monday’s magnitude 7.8 earthquake in southern Mindanao.
Thousands remained displaced and the number of injured reached more than 450 following the quake that struck off Maasim town in Sarangani province, the hardest hit area according to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Region 12 (Soccsksargen).
Some areas in the province were accessible only by helicopter as fears of aftershocks slowed down rescue efforts, local officials said.
Article continues after this advertisement
