MANILA – Around 3,000 people were affected by the twin earthquake that hit Itbayat, Batanes on Saturday morning, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
The NDRRMC on Sunday said at least 2,963 people or 911 families were affected by the quakes as the number of casualties stand at eight, with one missing and 63 injured.
The affected families, who came from five barangays in Itbayat, were staying at a public market of Barangay San Rafael following an evacuation from the magnitude 5.4 and 5.9 quakes.
The Palace on Sunday expressed condolences to the victims of the earthquake as President Rodrigo Duterte immediately went to Batanes to assess the situation.
“The Palace offers its deep condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones during the earthquakes that hit Batanes,” Malacañang said. “We send our sincerest prayers for the fast and speedy recovery of those who were injured.”
“The President has been briefed on the situation and he directed all agencies to respond and undertake measures to provide assistance to the victims of this force majeure and rehabilitate the damaged properties in the areas,” it added.
The Office of the Civil Defense was continuously coordinating with distressed local government units and the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in Batanes.
“With risk reduction measures in place, the government has prepared itself to react quickly to disaster occurrences like earthquakes while we commit our best to saving maximum lives and properties during such situations and bringing normalcy back in the soonest possible time,” it said./PN
