At least 37 people have been killed, hundreds injured, and about 32,000 displaced by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in the Philippines.
The earthquake hit General Santos City in Mindanao, the Philippines’ main southern island, on Monday, leaving thousands displaced.
Bernardo Alejandro, assistant secretary of the agency supervising disaster response, in an interview with DZMM Radio, said he hopes the death toll does not increase.
“We hope the death toll does not increase further, but we are expecting it to move. Our priority today is search and rescue,” Mr Alejandro said.
About 2,500 houses, 6,000 schools, and 117 government buildings were damaged across provinces in the Philippines, according to a government damage assessment.
The earthquake, rated as the most destructive in the Philippines, also forced the shutdown of the international airport in General Santos City, while about 63 domestic flights were cancelled.
In a statement, the Philippines’ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the suspension of classes at all levels in affected areas of Mindanao until further notice.
“The safety of our children comes first. DepEd will coordinate with local government units on this,” he said.
