Aftershocks hinder rescue efforts after Philippines quake kills 45 - VIDEO

Aftershocks continued to disrupt rescue operations in the southern Philippines on Wednesday as emergency crews were forced to evacuate a partially collapsed grocery store in General Santos City following a powerful tremor that killed at least 45 people and left 17 missing.

Rescuers, including firefighters and coast guard personnel, were seen running to safety as a safety officer warned of falling debris from the unstable three-storey building, which had already partially collapsed during Monday’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake, News.Az reports, citing ABC News.

Officials said the region has been hit by more than 2,100 aftershocks, some reaching magnitudes of up to 6.4, further complicating recovery and raising fears of additional damage.

Authorities said more than 25,000 people have been displaced and are now sheltering in government-run evacuation centres across southern Mindanao, where many remain too traumatised to return home.

The earthquake caused widespread destruction across the region, damaging thousands of homes, roads, bridges and government buildings, and forcing the closure of General Santos International Airport except for emergency flights.

Officials said the quake, one of the strongest in the Philippines in decades, was triggered by movement along the Cotabato Trench and has revived concerns over seismic risks in the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where the country is located.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova