On October 29, 2019, a magnitude 6.6 strong earthquake occurred on Mindanao Island in the southern Philippines. According to local authorities, the earthquake has killed 7 people and injured hundreds of people. Many buildings were damaged and some power facilities were interrupted. A large number of people have been forced to stay in the streets to take refuge. According to the Philippine Disaster Forecasting Agency, there may be aftershocks in the near future.

According to Philippine media reports, at least seven people have been killed in the earthquake and the concrete walls of many buildings have been cracked. A large number of people still shunned in the streets.

According to a report by the Philippine Civil Defence and Police Agency, a high school student was unfortunately killed by falling mud when he ran out of refuge from the school building. Others were killed in the landslide caused by the earthquake. In addition, the deceased also includes pregnant women and children. According to Agence France-Presse reported on the 30th, some students were injured in the stampede when trying to escape from the school building. Many parents have rushed to the school to pick up the children. Relevant departments in the disaster area also immediately announced suspension of classes.

According to a police spokesperson for Marguerite in the earthquake-stricken area, about 300 people were injured in the five most affected villages in the town. When the earthquake struck, many patients were forced to escape from the hospital, to the roadside or temporary shelters, and many frightened residents ran to the streets. In some areas, the shock lasted for up to a minute, causing many houses to be destroyed. Hundreds of people in the area are still displaced by the earlier earthquake.

The mayor of Tuluan said that the local city hall was severely damaged and the authorities received a “significant injury report”. In addition, local telecommunications equipment was also ignited by strong earthquakes, resulting in blocked communications, weak cell phone signals, and power outages in multiple areas. The ongoing earthquake has caused anxiety among the people, and many people refused to return to the building because of fear.

As of 1 pm on October 29, 2019, there were about 80 aftershocks in the disaster area, the most intense of which was 6.1 on the Richter scale. Renato Solidum, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, called on the victims to stay outside because of the expected aftershocks. Editor / Huang Lijun