The recent earthquake in the Philippines has raised the seabed by two meters nearly 6.6 feet dangering coal and marine life said the environment department on Sunday. A team dispatched to the shore for inspection ‘found long stretches of shoreline, coral reef and sea grass exposed’.
A shifting of the Cotabato Trench “pushed upward part of the coastlines of Sarangani and Davao Occidental (provinces)… exposing the bottom of the sea that was originally submerged”, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement.
Coastal uplift- a geological phenomenon was noticed by the locals two days after quake as the dead decaying sea organisms began emanating poisonous gas, officials revealed. The Cotabato Trench- which lies 50 kms off the coast of Mindanao islands is a frequent site of seismic activities. So far, no accurate measurements are available. Images released by the department show a large swathe of exposed coral with dead fish and other aquatic animals lying on the top.
An earthquake of magnitude 8 originally caused major damage and trigerred tsunami alerts in Southern Mindanao Island a week ago leaving 40 people missing, killing 61and 1,403 injured, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Sunday. According to officials, more than 75,300 households, or over 346,000 people are affected, and more than 45,000 affected residents have been displaced, with over 12,600 houses sustaining damage.
The powerful earthquake hit shortly after schools across the Philippines started reopening following the summer break. Surveillance footage from several schools captured violent shaking during the quake. Teachers and students either evacuated urgently or took shelter under desks.
The number of schools affected by the earthquake has risen to 8,642 across 43 divisions in six regions, local media reported, citing figures from the Department of Education.
The earthquake triggered numerous landslides in the steep terrain that caused additional damage and complicated response and relief. Property damage in General Santos City estimated at over $20 million dollars was reported. A two-story school building in General Santos collapsed with students trapped inside.