The earthquake that struck the island of Mindanao on Wednesday has claimed at least 215 lives, according to the latest figures from the Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. A team of British divers, part of the International Search and Rescue (ISAR) network, has arrived in the coastal city of Davao to assist in the recovery of victims trapped under collapsed structures. The 7.
6 magnitude tremor, which occurred at a depth of 40 kilometres, triggered a series of aftershocks and a localised tsunami that inundated low-lying areas. The British divers, trained in confined space rescue, are using underwater cameras and sonar equipment to locate bodies in flooded basements and harbours. 'The window for finding survivors is closing fast.
Every hour, the probability of survival decreases by 10 per cent,' said Dr. Helena Vance, a disaster response analyst at the University of Cambridge. 'The geology of the region, with its soft sedimentary soils, amplifies seismic waves.
This, combined with the high population density, makes the death toll particularly severe.' The Philippine government has declared a state of calamity in several provinces, and international aid is pouring in. The British team joins specialists from Japan and the United States who are using ground-penetrating radar to detect voids in the rubble.
As of this morning, 147 people remain missing. The earthquake is the deadliest to hit the Philippines since 2013, when a 7.2 magnitude quake killed over 200 people on Bohol Island.
