Philippines Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 46 as Rescue Efforts Continue

At least 46 people have died and hundreds more are injured after a powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the southern Philippines on Monday. Rescue efforts are ongoing as search teams comb through collapsed buildings and debris for missing individuals. The earthquake, which occurred offshore the island of Mindanao, caused widespread destruction, leading to building collapses and landslides in numerous regions.

The Philippine disaster response agency reported 45 deaths and stated that 17 people remain missing. However, this count does not include bodies identified by civil protection. One victim, Joey Deluvio, 39, was found dead in the rubble. The majority of the additional fatalities were reported in the province of Davao Occidental, where landslides and building collapses were the primary causes of death, according to civil protection official Rafaelito Alejandro.

Rescue and recovery operations continue despite the risks posed by numerous aftershocks. Hundreds of tremors, both strong and weak, have been recorded since the main quake. The disaster highlights the vulnerability of the region to seismic activity and the ongoing challenges in responding to such large-scale events.