No death but 5 hurt in Cagayan quake

At least five persons were reported hurt in Calayan, Cagayan after it was rocked by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake on Tuesday night, Sept. 12.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said the victims sustained various injuries due to a collapsed wall when the temblor struck at 7:03 p.m.

The epicenter of the quake was located at 26 kilometers west of Dalupiri Island.

“There were no reported deaths. However, five injured [individuals] were reported due to a collapsed wall in Calayan, Cagayan; three were able to sustain minor injuries and the other two sustained brain trauma and head concussion,” a disaster bulletin sent to reporters by OCD deputy spokesperson Diego Agustin Mariano read.

Two of the five injured individuals were identified by the Cagayan Provincial Information Office as siblings Baby Caty, 13, and Carmela Dela Cruz, 12.

It said that a concrete wall on a portion of their house in Barangay Centro 2, Calayan, Cagayan suddenly collapsed during the earthquake.

Mariano noted that there were no families being catered in evacuation sites while assessment on the impact of the earthquake was ongoing.

However, several residents opted to spend the night in makeshift tents that they built outside their houses out of fear that aftershocks would follow.

Meanwhile, classes in all levels in Calayan were already cancelled by the municpal government as authorities inspected damaged school buildings, including the Calayan High School Main where a big crack was observed.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRM) Operations Center also disseminated emergency alert and warning messages to residents in the affected areas to remind them to be vigilant against possible aftershocks.

“OCD Region II and Cagayan and Isabela PDRRMCs [Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils] continue to monitor and assess the situation,” Mariano said. — Martin Sadongdong

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