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 from the southern province of Sarangani, where the quake triggered a landslide, and 12 were from General Santos City, the area hit the hardest.
The agency also reported three deaths in South Cotabato province and four in the Davao region.
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 in the southern region of Mindanao, 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."
