At least 8 dead, many trapped in grocery: Pampanga gov.

April 22, 2019

At least eight were reported dead in Pampanga after a 6.1 earthquake rocked Zambales Monday afternoon and was strongly felt in other parts of Luzon.

In an interview over dzMM Monday night, Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda said they confirmed six casualties in addition to two earlier reported deaths in Porac.

Pineda said three died after a grocery collapsed.

"There are still people who are trapped inside the collapsed building. We cannot identify yet how many are still inside," she added.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council said reports reaching them said 30 were trapped inside the grocery.

Three other casualties were confirmed to her by the Pampanga Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO).

"We only knew about it after PDRRMO informed us after they checked those who were brought to the hospital after the quake. If they weren't able to track the victims, we would not know (because) the (hospitals) were not reporting that their patients died," she explained.

As of 9 pm, Pineda said search and rescue operations are still ongoing.

"There are still people trapped inside collapsed establishments who were heard screaming, asking for rescue. There are still people alive waiting for rescuers," she said. Cristina Eloisa Baclig, Robina Asido/DMS