Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29) – The reported death toll in the magnitude 7 earthquake that hit Northern Luzon rose to 10 on Friday evening after four more bodies were recovered in Abra province.
Abra officials said they found the remains of four individuals earlier reported to be missing in Luba town.
“These 4 will be added po sa ating (to our) fatalities. We are just waiting for the official report containing the identities and other details of the deceased,” National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Spokesperson Mark Timbal said in a message.
Five other casualties were earlier confirmed in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), while one in the Ilocos Region is also being validated, based on the NDDRMC’s 6 a.m. report.
The agency also listed 136 reportedly injured people from Wednesday’s quake: 117 from CAR, 18 from Ilocos Region, and one from Cagayan Valley.
At least 19,846 families or 79,260 individuals in 246 barangays in Ilocos Region and CAR were affected by the earthquake, the NDRRMC added.
Of this figure, 1,622 families or 5,819 individuals are inside evacuation centers, while 360 families or 1,512 persons are staying outside shelters.
Meanwhile, damage to agriculture and to the national irrigation administration were estimated at ₱3.8 million and ₱4.5 million, respectively.
Infrastructure damage, on the other hand, climbed to around ₱48.3 million.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) also reported ₱396.58 million in partial cost of damage to roads and bridges.
Damage to national roads accounted for ₱104.53 million of the latest estimate, while the remaining ₱292.05 million was attributed to national bridges in the three regions.
DPWH quick response teams are still clearing five remaining impassable sections of the ff. roads in CAR and Ilocos Region:
– Lubuagan-Batong Buhay Road
– Baguio-Bontoc Road
– Tagudin-Cervantes Road
– Jct. Santiago-Banayoyo-Lidlidda-San Emilio-Quirino Road
– Cervantes-Aluling-Bontoc Road
The agency eyes reopening the affected roads in CAR by 5 p.m. this Saturday.
As of Friday evening, authorities recorded over 1,100 aftershocks following the quake, with the magnitude ranging from 1.5 to 5.
