Philippines earthquakes death toll rises to 9

Manila: The death toll from the twin earthquakes that rocked Itbayat, Batanes over the weekend has climbed to nine, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) announced on Tuesday.

In an update, NDRRMC executive director Ricardo Jalad said the ninth fatality, who was earlier reported as a missing person, was recovered by authorities around 2:20 pm Monday.

Meanwhile, the number of affected families remained at 911, which is equivalent to 2,963 persons residing in five barangays in Itbayat.

Of this figure, 805 families or 2,616 individuals are still staying in the public market and municipal plaza in Barangay San Rafael of the said town. The number of injured remains at 63 individuals, the NDRRMC report added.

Some 15 houses were reported damaged on Saturday, along with two health facilities and two schools. ​