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AMMAN — The Foreign Ministry on Tuesday expressed its deepest condolences and sympathy to the government and people of the Philippines over the victims of the earthquake that struck the south of the country.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Fouad Majali stressed the Kingdom's full solidarity and standing with the government and people of the Philippines during this painful ordeal, according to a ministry statement.
Majali extended sincere condolences to the families of the victims, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Monday, triggering widespread destruction, building collapses, landslides and tsunami warnings that were later lifted, according to AFP.
The disaster has left at least 41 people dead and more than 450 injured, while thousands remain displaced, with rescue operations continuing amid ongoing aftershocks.
In hardest-hit Sarangani province, some areas remain accessible only by helicopter and fears of aftershocks were slowing rescue efforts, local officials told reporters at a Tuesday briefing.
"There are still aftershocks, so the rescuers are very cautious in their approach. That's a challenge," said regional civil defence chief Rodrigo Sosmena.
Infrastructure damage, meanwhile, means some communities will be cut off for at least a week because of the damage to roads and the collapse of a bridge, AFP reported.
In Glan municipality, where at least 13 people were buried in their homes by a landslide, staff at another hospital told AFP more than 60 patients were on beds outside the facility due to fears for the building's structural integrity.
