Cost of infrastructure damage in Philippine quake reaches $51m

The cost of damage to infrastructure caused by a strong earthquake in Bohol province of central Philippines has reached 2.2 billion pesos (51 million U.S. dollars), National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRMC) said Sunday. Official figures from the Camp Aguinaldo-based agency also indicated that the number of fatalities from the quake has also increased to 215 people, mostly from the worst-hit province. More than a third of the current damage estimate, or 766.35 million pesos, was incurred by roads, bridges; while damage to hospitals was pegged at 995.55 million pesos. Damage to schools was placed at 423.05 million pesos while damage to flood control structures was put at 17.88 million pesos. More than 20 churches, some of them centuries old, were either damaged or destroyed by the quake. "We are focused on relief efforts. We are organizing a multi- sectoral team to conduct the post disaster assessment," said NDRRMC Executive Director Eduardo del Rosario. A tectonic 7.2 magnitude quake was recorded near Bohol on Oct. 15, which has killed 215 people, according to new figures released by the NDRRMC.