THE death toll in last Monday’s earthquake in Central Visayas rose to 34 yesterday with 71 others still missing and feared dead, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

The NDRRMC said that of the 34 fatalities in Negros Oriental, 13 came from Guihulngan City; 7 from Jimalalud; 3 in Tayasan; 1 in Bindoy; 2 in Manjuyod; 2 in Ayungon and 6 in La Libertad.

Relatives of the 71 missing have urged military, police and civilian volunteers to press their search for the unaccounted victims hoping and believing that some of them could still be alive.

Twenty-nine of the missing are from Barangay Planas in Guihulngan City while 42 others are residents of Bgy. Solongon in La Libertad, La Union. The victims are residents of mountainside communities who were believed to have been trapped under tons of rocks that buried their houses last Monday afternoon.

NDRRMC chairman Benito Ramos placed the damage to roads and bridges in Negros Oriental and Cebu from last Monday’s magnitude 6.9 earthquake at P266.3 million as of yesterday.

Soldiers and policemen are involved in the massive search, rescue and retrieval operations in the two areas, he said.

Rescuers earlier said they were having a hard time locating some of the buried houses. ANC reported that a local resident who accompanied an Army search team urged the rescuers to hurry up after he received a text message from his daughter Cindy who was trapped under the rubble in Bgy. Planas.

The resident said she received a text message from Cindy that she is already getting hungry and thirsty but could already see light. The body of Cindy was found Tuesday afternoon.

As of yesterday, Ramos said the earthquake displaced 14,803 families composed of 74,017 families living in 59 barangays, eight municipalities and one city in Negros Oriental.

Currently, 7,657 people belonging to 1,527 families are being sheltered in different government-run evacuation centers. Another 19,205 displaced persons are staying outside these evacuation centers.

The NDRRMC said 10 bridges in Negros Oriental were rendered impassable due to collapsed spans, abutement, center spans and pier and damaged approaches.

Five roads in Dumaguete City and Badian municipality were also impassable due to cracks, cuts, rock falls and landslides. The quake also damaged 1,919 houses, 976 of which were totally destroyed.

The NDRRMC said Guihulngan City remained without water and electricity yesterday as its water system was totally damaged and its electric facility downed. There are also no Globe and Smart signals in the city. There is no Globe signal either in La Libertad.

However, local chief executives and electric cooperative managers have agreed to restore electricity in their areas within a week’s time starting Wednesday.

The NDRRMC said Jimalalud, Guihulngan and La Libertad also cannot be reached due to damaged bridges. The areas of Ayungon, Tayasan, Jimalalud, La Libertad and Guihulngan also were still without water and electricity as of yesterday.

Police Regional Office 7 director Chief Superintendent Marcelo P. Garbo Jr. said the earthquake totally damaged the Seventh Day Adventist Church and a Catholic Church in Guihulngan City and partially damaged the St. Francis College, the Hall of Justice, a public market, a Caltex building, the Plaza Lodge and the Philippine Independence Church.

Patients were forced to stay outside the Guihulngan Hospital for fear of another earthquake which crippled electricity in the town.

Local officials have appealed for food, water, tents and medicines in Guihulngan City.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Nicanor A. Bartolome said all PNP resources and personnel in Central and Western Visayas have been mobilized to assist in all government disaster response and mitigation efforts in the earthquake-affected areas.

Bartolome also directed PRO7 director, Chief Supt. Garbo and PRO6 director, Chief Supt. Cipriano E. Querol Jr. to fully supervise the ongoing search, rescue and relief operations.