The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on Monday reported major damage to infrastructure following the strong earthquake that struck Mindanao, as authorities continued to validate reports of possible casualties.
OCD deputy spokesperson Diego Mariano said initial reports showed significant damage to various infrastructure in the affected areas, while electricity and communication lines were also disrupted.
Mariano said evacuations were ongoing in affected coastal communities, especially amid the threat of aftershocks and possible tsunami-related risks.
He said the most affected areas were Regions 12, 11, 9, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Reports of casualties are being monitored and validated, but Mariano said there were no official casualty figures as of reporting time.
Authorities advised the public not to reenter their homes or other structures, especially those with visible signs of damage. Residents were also warned to avoid high-rise buildings due to the continuing threat of aftershocks.
Mariano said local disaster risk reduction and management offices have been directed to supervise response operations in their respective areas of responsibility.
Rescue units from uniformed services were also placed on alert and are ready for deployment when needed.
The OCD said operations centers, the National Inter-Agency Coordinating Cell, response clusters, and concerned agencies are now on full red alert and are closely coordinating with local disaster offices.
Mariano said officials from the Department of National Defense and the OCD were also heading to the affected areas upon the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. to assess the damage and support immediate response operations.