Shocking accounts from a Greek resident living in Mindanao describe the moment a powerful earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale struck the Davao Oriental region in the Philippines. “The earthquake started gradually. It took about 15 seconds to reach its peak intensity. At first, people remained calm, thinking it would stop. But then it continued and panic began,” said Emmanuel Aristeidopoulos.
Speaking to ERT, he described the moment of the major earthquake. It should be noted that a second seismic tremor measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale occurred on Friday evening in the same area, just hours after the first one. Emmanuel Aristeidopoulos spoke about the moment the tremor “hit,” saying: “Panic clearly prevailed during the earthquake. At the moment of the earthquake, I was inside a mall and suddenly out of nowhere we all started running toward the exits screaming, women crying as we rushed down the stairs”.
Philippines earthquake: Shocking accounts from Greek resident
“As we left the city, we personally didn’t see serious damage. Generally, earthquakes in the Philippines are more ‘smooth’ compared to earthquakes in Greece. At first, I thought it was 4 or 5 on the Richter scale, based on my experience with Greek earthquakes,” he emphasized.
“About half an hour after the earthquake, it was announced in the media that a tsunami might hit,” he concluded, though fortunately this was not confirmed.
Death toll from the deadly earthquake
The death toll has reached six following the powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck the southern Philippines, 11 days after a seismic event that killed 74 people in the central part of the country.
The earthquake occurred approximately 20 kilometers off the coast of Manay city on the southern island of Mindanao at 9:43 a.m. local time, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Three workers mining for gold in mountains west of Manay were killed when the tunnel they were in collapsed, Kent Simeon, an official with the rescue service in the neighboring city of Padukan, told AFP.
In the city of Mati, one person was killed by a collapsing wall, according to police, while a man suffered cardiac arrest, the city’s disaster management office told AFP.
Another person was killed in Davao city, more than 100 kilometers west of the epicenter, according to municipal authorities, without providing further details.
