Manila: Two people were buried under a Catholic church that collapsed in a town near the epicentre of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday, that killed almost 150, and affected three million people in 87 villages, 27 municipalities, seven cities, and three provinces in central Philippines, sources said.
When the quake occurred near Carmen, Bohol, two people were buried when Our Lady of Light in Loon town, Bohol, collapsed said Tagbilaran Bishop Leonardo Medroso. Their bodies have not yet been recovered.
Rescuers have not succeeded in retrieving all the bodies that were trapped by landslides, under collapsed buildings, toppled churches, and damaged houses, admitted Undersecretary Eduardo del Rosario, also head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
As of late Wednesday, of the 142 dead, 132 died in Bohol, nine in Cebu, and one in Siquijor Island, said Del Rosario, adding that the number of fatalities could further increase as rescuers have started penetrating areas isolated by heavily damaged roads and bridges, especially in Bohol.
Only three people were rescued alive in Pasil village, Cebu City, said Del Rosario.
Quake-shocked survivors have been holding vigil, together with volunteers and government rescuers who have been working round the clock since the earthquake occurred on Tuesday morning.
Delayed rescue operations could have killed those who were still alive when accidentally buried by concrete and mud, Virginia Villaver told Gulf News in a phone interview.
Because of bad roads and closed bridges, those who were found alive could not be rushed to hospitals that were either destroyed or overcrowded.
“Even the dead could not be brought to churches, many of which were totally if not partially damaged,” said Villaver.
Thirteen churches, eight in Bohol, and five in Cebu were damaged.
Although churches were closed and secured from looters, residents in Bohol put up altars near them, where they prayed for the dead, the injured, and the missing, said Villaver.
Relatives were happy that funeral homes were not damaged, and could attend to the dead, said Villaver.
Noting that some isolated areas could already be reached on Wednesday, Lieutenant General Roy Deveraturda, commander of Armed Forces Central Command based in Cebu, “All government agencies are now helping each other.”
But Bohol’s 20 bridges and four roads that remained impassable remained a challenge to rescuers.
“A total of 59 people died in hard hit towns of Bohol, such as Loon, where 35 died, Antequera, 13, and Maribojoc, 11,: said Lt. Gen. Deveraturda, adding that rescuers expect “heart breaking news” when they reach several isolated villages and towns.
“Some of the bodies that were recovered were immediately buried because of the absence of a funeral home in Maribojoc, Bohol,” said a TV report.
Meanwhile, those who were injured and brought to hospitals in Cebu and Bohol’s metro areas were treated in a “can-do” style, said the same TV report.
More than 100 patients were being treated at a park near Cebu Medical Centre, which was closed because of damage brought about by the quake.
“We have transferred to three places since Tuesday,” a patient said in a TV interview.
Some 900 aftershocks were recorded since Tuesday, several of which measured 4 to 5 magnitude, said Renato Solidum of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
Although Bohol is popular among foreign tourists, not one was reported killed or injured.
Bohol’s tourist attractions include old churches, “Chocolate Hills,” made of limestone that turn chocolate brown in summer; small tarsiers; and white sand-beaches.
