Rescuers in the southern Philippines recovered a body from the rubble of a collapsed supermarket on Wednesday, as the death toll from a powerful earthquake climbed to 46. The 7.8-magnitude tremor struck just off the coast of Mindanao on Monday, bringing down buildings, triggering landslides, and prompting tsunami warnings across a wide area of the southern island.
Recovery Efforts in General Santos City
Joey Deluvio, 39, was one of two employees at a supermarket in General Santos City that has been the focus of recovery operations despite the persistent threat of aftershocks. Life-detecting equipment had earlier detected a "weak pulse" during the operation, local rescuer Michelle Chua told AFP on Wednesday. However, "when they got to the body... there were no signs of life," Chua said. Deluvio's body was found pinned between two beams, she added.
Death Toll and Missing Persons
The national disaster agency raised the death toll to 45 on Wednesday, while the number of people missing jumped dramatically from four to 17. However, the civil defence office confirmed that the figure for fatalities did not include Deluvio. Most of the additional dead were from Davao Occidental province, and most had been killed in landslides or collapsing buildings, civil defence official Rafaelito Alejandro said in a radio interview.
The earthquake has caused widespread devastation, with many communities cut off and outdoor hospitals set up to treat the injured. The constant threat of aftershocks continues to hamper rescue efforts, as workers carefully sift through debris in search of survivors.
