Cebu quake death toll back at 70

The official number of fatalities of the Sept. 30 magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Cebu went back up to 70 yesterday as the management of the dead and missing cluster led by the Department of the Interior and Local Government continued to validate the reported deaths.

- By MICHAEL PUNONGBAYAN

Volunteers from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and Light Rail Transit Authority load buckets filled with relief goods called 'charitimba' - to be transported to communities affected by Typhoon Opong in Masbate and the recent magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Cebu - onto trucks at the LRT-2 depot in Pasig City yesterday.

(MIGUEL DE GUZMAN)

As verified so far, the Office of Civil Defense said 32 of the casualties are from Bogo City, while 14 are from Medellin, 15 from San Remegio, six from Tabogon and one each in Sogod, Tabuelan and Borbon.

The number of reported injuries is currently at 559 with Bogo City, the earthquake's epicenter, accounting for 180 people hurt, followed by 150 in Tabogon, 66 in Medellin, 86 in San Remigio, 20 in Tabuelan, eight in Borbon, four in Catmon, 29 in Daanbantayan, 14 in San Francisco and two in Carmen.

Latest data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) said a total of 128,294 families or 457,554 persons were affected by the earthquake.