Cebu quake fatalities rise to 74

Two more fatalities in the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu last week have been reported, bringing the death toll to 74 as of yesterday.

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The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Office of Civil Defense said the additional fatalities were reported in the towns of Tabogon and Medellin.

The number of injured people remained at 559 with no one reported missing.

Houses damaged by the earthquake increased to 71,996 from 62,531 the other day, with close to 5,000 assessed to be beyond repair, according to the NDRRMC.

From 733 the other day, the agency yesterday lowered to 703 the number of infrastructure such as schools and government facilities that were damaged during the quake.

Up to 189,620 families were displaced by the calamity. Most of them are staying in six evacuation centers.