Earthquakes Kill 20, Injure Hundreds in Southern Philippines

(Bloomberg) -- At least 20 people have died, hundreds wounded and thousands of structures damaged after a series of powerful earthquakes hit southern Philippines in the past two weeks, according to disaster risk-reduction agencies.

A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck Mindanao island on Thursday morning, with Cotabato province as its epicenter, two days after a 6.6 magnitude quake hit the same area. On Oct. 16, Cotabato province felt a 6.3 magnitude tremor that killed at least seven, while 13 people have died from quakes in the last 3 days.

Thursday’s earthquake left a hotel in Cotabato’s capital city near collapse, while a condominium in Davao City sustained major damage, according to reports from provincial agencies.

A day later, Cotabato was shaken by another earthquake, this time a magnitude 5 tremor rocking the town of Makilala. Aftershocks are expected. A 5.5 quake also struck in the waters off Sarangani, another province on the island of Mindanao.

President Rodrigo Duterte’s house in nearby Davao City where he was staying during the Thursday quake sustained cracks and was checked for structural integrity, his security chief said. Duterte is pushing through with his scheduled departure for Bangkok on Friday to attend the Asean Summit.

Located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In 2013, a 7.2 magnitude quake in Bohol and nearby areas killed more than 200 people. A number of strong earthquakes struck different parts of the Philippines, including the capital region this year.

To contact the reporters on this story: Andreo Calonzo in Manila at acalonzo1@bloomberg.net;Ditas Lopez in Manila at dlopez55@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Cecilia Yap at cyap19@bloomberg.net, Clarissa Batino

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