By Matters India Reporter
Ching Mai, April 23, 2019: The Christian Conference of Asia on April 21 offered solidarity and sympathy to the victims of earthquakes that hit the Philippines on two days.
A second major quake on April 23 rattled the Philippines after an earlier 6.1-magnitude earthquake that left 11 people dead and 30 still feared trapped in the rubble.
The magnitude 6.3 earthquake with a depth of 83.3 km was registered on the island of Samar in central Philippines on April 23 afternoon local time, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). There is no tsunami warning and no immediate reports of damage.
The earthquake on April 23 follows a large earthquake the previous day that struck near the town of Bodega on the Philippine island of Luzon.
The death toll from April 22 earthquake climbed to 11 on April 23, CNN Philippines reported. Around 30 people are still believed to be trapped after a supermarket collapsed in Porac, Pampanga, a province northwest of the capital Manila.
In a letter addressed to the member churches in the Philippines and members of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, CCA general secretary Reverend Mathews George Chunakara conveyed condolences over the loss of life, displacement of families and widespread damages to property and infrastructure.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the people in the affected areas, especially with the grieving families of the victims and all those affected by this calamity. We are praying for the consolation of all who grieve the loss of their loved ones, and for the healing of the injured.”
Reverend Chunakara also expressed confidence that the strength and resilience of the Filipino people will carry them through this critical time.
Many parts of northern Philippines experienced power outages during the earthquake and its aftershocks. Thousands queued up the thoroughfares across northern Philippines as the government ordered mass evacuations in affected provinces.
The CCA urged its member churches across Asia to support the affected people and communities with human and material resources so as to provide moral, social, psychological, and humanitarian aid.