NDRRMC: Abra quake toll now at 4 dead, 131 hurt

The number of injured people due to the magnitude 7 earthquake that struck Abra on Wednesday has increased to 131, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (NDRRMC) said Thursday.

In its 6 a.m. report, the NDRRMC said the number of fatalities remained at four.

A total of 12,945 individuals or 3,456 families in 149 barangays in Cordillera were affected by the earthquake, the report said.

It added that 541 families are staying inside 21 evacuation centers, while 567 individuals or 128 families are staying outside evacuation centers.

A total of 868 homes were damaged—857 partially and 11 totally—in Cordillera, according to the NDRRMC.

Seventeen 17 infrastructures, meanwhile, were reported damaged in Ilocos, Central Luzon, and Metro Manila. The damage in Ilocos was estimated at P33,800.

The NDRRMC reported two incidents of landslides, two structure collapse, and three falling incidents in Ilocos, Cagayan, Central Luzon.

Nineteen 19 roads are still not passable in Ilocos, Cagayan, and Cordillera. Five roads and five bridges previously reported as not passable are now passable.

A total of 37 cities and municipalities experienced power interruption. Power has since been restored to 36 of these areas.

Around 20 classes and 54 work schedules were suspended in Ilocos due to the earthquake.

A total of 1,248 individuals were evacuated in Ilocos Region due to the earthquake.

Assistance worth P291,761 has been provided to some victims in Cordillera.

Meanwhile, in an interview on CNN Philippines, NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal said initial damage to infrastructure, excluding heritage structures, was estimated at P33.8 million.

Senator Imee Marcos on Wednesday said some antique bell towers and heritage houses were destroyed in Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte.

“We haven’t proceeded with [the] evaluation of this infrastructure, given that there’s a different procedure for historic sites. So the damage computation does not include the historic structures as of this time,” he said.

The quake occurred at 8:43 a.m. on Wednesday and was located at 17.64°N, 120.63°E - 003 km N 45° W of Tayum in Abra and had a depth of 17 kilometers, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said.

It was felt strongly in many areas in Luzon, including in Metro Manila. —with Joahna Lei Casilao/RSJ/KBK, GMA News