Rescue teams race against time in the landslide-hit southern regions as operations enter their second week.
MANILA: The death toll from the devastating earthquake that struck the southern Philippines on June 8 has climbed to 61, authorities confirmed on Sunday. According to the latest update from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the powerful tremor has left 1,403 people injured, while 40 individuals are still reported missing.
Emergency response teams, including military personnel and local volunteers, are maintaining an aggressive search, rescue, and retrieval campaign across the worst-hit provinces. The operations have entered a critical phase as workers navigate treacherous terrain to reach communities cut off by major landslides and debris from collapsed structures.
Field officials noted that the structural damage is extensive, with numerous residential buildings, public infrastructure, and roads heavily compromised. Ambulances and medical teams remain on high alert, treating the hundreds of injured citizens displaced by the disaster.
The initial powerful quake struck the southern island region on Monday, June 8, triggering immediate structural collapses and massive soil displacements in mountainous areas. The Philippines sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a zone of intense seismic and volcanic activity, making it highly vulnerable to earthquakes.
As the days progress, hope of finding more survivors under the rubble is thinning, but disaster management agencies have reaffirmed that retrieval and rescue efforts will continue unabated until every missing person is accounted for.
