The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) reported recovering 53 bodies on the fourth day of ongoing response and retrieval operations following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Mindanao. As of Thursday, June 11, the BFP has retrieved more remains than the official count of 45 fatalities released by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Wednesday noon.
Validation Underway
According to BFP spokesman Supt. Anthony Arroyo, some of the recovered remains are still undergoing validation as authorities continue to identify the victims. The number of retrieved bodies is higher than the NDRRMC's official data, indicating the scale of the disaster.
Search and Retrieval Efforts
The BFP continues its search and retrieval efforts in Region 12, with units from other regions deployed to augment local responders. Supt. Arroyo stated that BFP teams from Region 10, Caraga, and the Bangsamoro Region have been deployed to support retrieval operations. Additionally, units from Region 11 were sent to Region 12 to augment operations in the most affected areas.
The BFP in Regions 11 and 12 is currently under Code Red Alert, with over 3,000 personnel on full alert for humanitarian, rescue, and evacuation operations.
