MASBATE CITY (PIA)—A 63-year-old retired police colonel was pinned to death while several others were injured following a strong earthquake that rocked Masbate province and other areas in Central Philippines on Tuesday morning, August 18.
Felipe Cabataña, the mayor of the town nearest to the epicenter of the magnitude 6.6 earthquake, told a local radio interview that Col. Gilbert Sauro was inside his multi-floor house in Barangay Alimango, Cataingan, Masbate when the earthquake struck at 8:03 a.m.
Sauro was crushed by a falling concrete beam and was declared dead at the Cataingan District Hospital in Cataingan, according to lead rescuer Neptali Pusing, head of the Bureau of Fire Protection in Cataingan.
Dr. Jovan Lim, head of Cataingan District Hospital, confirmed the death of Sauro.
Local disaster management officials reported that several other people in Cataingan and adjoining towns were injured and were treated in rural health units.
In Pio V. Corpus town, where the jolt was felt at Intensity 7, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (MDRRM) Officer Mary Grace Barliso said she recorded two injured persons.
Era Menchavez dela Peña, manager of local radio station Kairos FM, reported that a landslide occurred at Barangay Bugtong in Pio V. Corpus town.
In Palanas town, where the temblor was also felt at Intensity 7, at least 21 persons suffered injuries, according to MDRRM Officer Chris Jo Adique.
The quake also damaged several buildings in Cataingan, including those housing the Public Attorney’s Office, municipal public market, municipal police station as well as parts of the Cataingan port.
Even some houses built of light materials in Cataingan were toppled during the quake, photos taken by the local chapter of Philippine Red Cross showed.
Cracks in the concrete roads were observed in Cataingan and in its adjoining towns. The jolt destroyed the approach of Nabangig Bridge in Palanas town.
Still, the roads and bridges have remained passable to vehicles.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Penology reported that the epicenter of the earthquake, which was tectonic in origin, was recorded five kilometers southwest of Cataingan at a shallow depth of one kilometer.
Just several hours before the quake occurred, a magnitude 4.1 temblor also shook Cataingan, prompting residents to scamper to open grounds.
MASBATE CITY (PIA)—A 63-year-old retired police colonel was pinned to death while several others were injured following a strong earthquake that rocked Masbate province and other areas in Central Philippines on Tuesday morning, August 18.
Felipe Cabataña, the mayor of the town nearest to the epicenter of the magnitude 6.6 earthquake, told a local radio interview that Col. Gilbert Sauro was inside his multi-floor house in Barangay Alimango, Cataingan, Masbate when the earthquake struck at 8:03 a.m.
Sauro was crushed by a falling concrete beam and was declared dead at the Cataingan District Hospital in Cataingan, according to lead rescuer Neptali Pusing, head of the Bureau of Fire Protection in Cataingan.
Dr. Jovan Lim, head of Cataingan District Hospital, confirmed the death of Sauro.
Local disaster management officials reported that several other people in Cataingan and adjoining towns were injured and were treated in rural health units.
In Pio V. Corpus town, where the jolt was felt at Intensity 7, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (MDRRM) Officer Mary Grace Barliso said she recorded two injured persons.
Era Menchavez dela Peña, manager of local radio station Kairos FM, reported that a landslide occurred at Barangay Bugtong in Pio V. Corpus town.
In Palanas town, where the temblor was also felt at Intensity 7, at least 21 persons suffered injuries, according to MDRRM Officer Chris Jo Adique.
The quake also damaged several buildings in Cataingan, including those housing the Public Attorney’s Office, municipal public market, municipal police station as well as parts of the Cataingan port.
Even some houses built of light materials in Cataingan were toppled during the quake, photos taken by the local chapter of Philippine Red Cross showed.
Cracks in the concrete roads were observed in Cataingan and in its adjoining towns. The jolt destroyed the approach of Nabangig Bridge in Palanas town.
Still, the roads and bridges have remained passable to vehicles.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Penology reported that the epicenter of the earthquake, which was tectonic in origin, was recorded five kilometers southwest of Cataingan at a shallow depth of one kilometer.
Just several hours before the quake occurred, a magnitude 4.1 temblor also shook Cataingan, prompting residents to scamper to open grounds.