Just a day after a massive earthquake killed hundreds in Venezuela, a magnitude 6.7 quake hit off the southern Philippines on Friday, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The quake struck at 7:42 pm (1142 GMT) at a depth of 65.7 kilometres (41 miles) about 21 kilometres southwest of Mindanao island’s Sarangani town, according to the USGS.
This comes less than three weeks after a major tremor in the same area left more than 80 people dead.
There were no immediate tsunami warnings.
The Venezuela tragedy
On the other hand, the death toll from two powerful earthquakes in Venezuela rose to 589, with 2,980 injured, acting President Delcy Rodríguez said early on Friday.
She made the announcement, surrounded by government and military officials, as she welcomed rescue crews from around the world.
“We are going to rescue the people who are trapped,” she said. “We are working tirelessly on this task.”
She said the state of La Guaira has been hardest hit by the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck on Wednesday evening, noting that it has been militarised as crews search for survivors and distribute food and water.
Rodriguez earlier declared La Guaira a disaster zone, where more than 250 buildings were damaged. The coastal region borders the capital Caracas and houses the country’s Simón Bolívar International Airport, which suffered extensive damage. At least five other Venezuelan states have been impacted.
The powerful earthquakes struck within a minute of each other on Wednesday evening, toppling buildings and severely damaging the country’s main international airport. People across the country were frantically searching for missing relatives, and social media was filled with photographs and appeals for information.
Venezuela’s political opposition has set up a website to track missing people in parallel to government efforts, and it shows that there are more than 49,000 people unaccounted for. This far exceeds the government’s official account.
“We’re carrying out an extraordinary effort across the country,” Health Minister Carlos Alvarado told state television. “Hospitals in the La Guaira region, the worst-hit region, are at maximum capacity, and we’ve started to set up field hospitals.”