Philippines earthquake toll revised to 46; rescuers battle rain and aftershocks

Rescuers in the Philippines are braving rain and aftershocks to find people missing after a powerful earthquake struck the southern island of Mindanao earlier this week. The magnitude 7.8 quake, which hit Monday off the coast, has claimed 46 lives, according to an updated official tally released Friday.

The disaster caused buildings to collapse and triggered landslides across a wide area. An initial report listed 55 fatalities, but a later update, citing validation and verification of reports, revised the death toll down to 46. The number of missing persons also increased to 38, up from 31 previously reported.

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The aftershocks continue to delay us, and it rained last night, so we have to interrupt operations for a while.

René Punzalan, a disaster relief official in the heavily affected Sarangani province, told AFP that while many blocked roads have been cleared, helicopters are still needed to deliver food and water to isolated residents who remain without electricity. "The aftershocks continue to delay us, and it rained last night, so we have to interrupt operations for a while," he said, referring to the work of excavators clearing large rocks.

While searches for the missing continue, Punzalan expressed little hope of finding survivors, calling it a "miracle" if any are found. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited affected areas on Wednesday, including a damaged school and an aid distribution center in General Santos, the region's largest city. He announced the government would allocate 100 million Philippine pesos (about $1.6 million) for the reconstruction of the municipal government seat.

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