The death toll from a magnitude-7.8 earthquake in the southern Philippines has risen to 37, with nearly 500 injured and at least four missing, the country's national disaster agency said on Tuesday.
Eighteen fatalities were recorded in the southern province of Sarangani, where the quake triggered a landslide, and 12 were reported in General Santos City, the area hit the hardest.
The agency also reported three deaths in South Cotabato province and four in the Davao region.
Authorities fear the death toll might rise further due to the widespread destruction caused by the quake that hit the Philippine's Mindanao island on Monday morning.
The island's General Santos City, home to some 70,000 and known for its tuna industry, was particularly affected.
Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro, deputy administrator of the Office of Civil Defense, said 487 people were injured in the earthquake, which triggered landslides, caused infrastructure to collapse, and damaged roads and bridges.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said it has recorded 1,100 aftershocks since the tremor on Monday, the strongest of which had a magnitude of 6.7.
The earthquake struck on the first day of school for the year, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said more than 3.2 million learners have been affected.
"Classes remain suspended in over 6,200 public and private schools pending safety assessments," it noted.
One of the infrastructures damaged by the earthquake is the international airport in General Santos City, a key passenger and cargo hub, which suspended operations on Monday.
Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said the airport’s tower and passenger terminals were damaged, but the runways were okay.
"Within the day, we will release an order allowing military, humanitarian and government flights to bring in supplies," he said. "Within a week, we hope to resume commercial operations of the airport."
According to the civil defence agency, around 145,000 people have been affected by the earthquake, with some 32,000 seeking shelter in evacuation centres or with relatives and friends.
Around 2,500 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, it said.
Tsunami warnings initially issued for the Philippines and Indonesia were lifted again a few hours after the earthquake struck.
Meanwhile, rescue forces in the Philippines are trying to reach villages cut off by the quake.
Health Secretary Ted Herbosa assured victims that the government was working to bring aid to all of them.
"Many roads are defective, bridges were damaged, so some areas are inaccessible, but the government is working on this," he told Manila radio station DZMM.
"Many people are in shock," he said.
"The health department’s emergency medical team is on standby, and I told them to make sure they have a psychosocial team to help people deal with trauma from losing relatives and suffering injuries."
The Mindanao region lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a belt of intense tectonic activity encircling the Pacific Ocean, where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur with particular frequency.
