The death toll from the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu on Tuesday night has increased to 72 , the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Thursday.
The NDRRMC placed the number of injured individuals to 294.
The NDRRMC said 30 of the fatalities were reported in Bogo City, 22 in San Remigio, 12 in Medellin, five in Tabogon, and one each in Sogod, Tabuelan, and Borbon.
In its situation report, the NDRRMC also said that 47,221 families (170,959 individuals) were affected by the quake.
It said 87 infrastructures were damaged, along with 597 houses.
The Cebu provincial government on Wednesday placed the entire province under a state of calamity as government authorities provide aid to those affected.
On Wednesday, Defense Secretary and NDRRMC chairman Gilberto Teodoro Jr flew to Cebu to “personally check and assess the situation.”
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said it has recorded a total of 2,461 aftershocks, ranging from magnitude 1 to 5, as of 6 a.m. Thursday.
