9 injured as Davao City condo collapses after 6.5 quake

MANILA, Philippines –– At least nine persons have been confirmed injured after a condominium in the Matina area in Davao City collapsed following the Magnitude 6.5 earthquake that rocked the region.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio confirmed the developments about the Ecoland 4000 in a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

“We have nine injured, eight were treated onsite and one was rushed to the hospital,” Duterte-Carpio told reporters.

“In the buildings that collapsed, Ecoland 4000 in Matina area, so far Central 911 teams have checked the rooftop up to the third floor of the building, and they did not see any occupants. The rescue team is checking the second floor because the second floor is the most affected area after it collapsed,” she added.

According to her, the building administrator said they have implemented forced evacuation and have condemned the structure involved. However, authorities still could not confirm if there are unit occupants inside when the earthquake happened.

“The building is five floors, 56 units, and so far our assessment is that 15 to 20 units still have occupants, but we cannot confirm if, at the time of the collapse, they were there,” Duterte-Carpio explained.

A Magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 33 kilometers northeast of Tulunan town in Cotabato.

This earthquake came just two days after the Magnitude 6.6 movement also in Tulunan.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) previously warned people in Mindanao to brace for more aftershocks as the latest quake is still part of interlaced events from active faults in the area./lzb