Philippines earthquake causes chaos, more than 100 flights canceled

More than 100 flights have been canceled at Clark International Airport following a devastating earthquake in the Philippines.

On Monday, an earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale hit Luzon, the main island of the Philippines, killing 11 people. More than 30 people are still missing in Pollachi City, Pampanga Province.

Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda said that in addition to the tragic death caused by the natural disaster, dozens of people were injured.

It was also reported that the US Geological Survey predicted that a second 6.4-magnitude earthquake would strike the central Philippines on Tuesday.

cbs news The quake struck near the town of St. Julian in Eastern Samar province, causing residents to flee their homes and office workers to safety.

There have been no reports of casualties or major damage from the new quake.

Since the initial quake, there have been more than 400 aftershocks, some with magnitudes as high as 3.4, Philippine seismologists said.

Monday’s quake caused severe damage to check-in counters, ceilings and parts of the departure area at Clark International Airport, canceling more than 100 flights and closing the airport terminal for nearly 48 hours, according to media reports.

The airport will reportedly reopen at 4pm local time today, with the Base Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) group confirming on social media that the area is ready to receive passengers ahead of departure.

Clark Airport will resume operations at 4pm today, April 24

Restoration work in the pre-departure area of ​​Clark International Airport is almost complete. Progress was made after airport operations were suspended for a little over 24 hours from 7:40 pm on Monday due to the Luzon earthquake. pic.twitter.com/PyTdYXvqyZ

— BCDA Group (@TheBCDAGroup) April 23, 2019

Clark International Airport Corporation said in a statement that the public should coordinate with the airline regarding the status of the flight.

“It’s business as usual at Clark Airport, from counters to gates to gates,” CIAC President Jaime Melo said.

Cebu Pacific Air, Philippine Airlines and AirAsia had earlier announced cancellations of flights on Wednesday before the terminal reopened at 4 p.m., according to reports.

FedEx and UPS resumed flights to Clark late Tuesday, indicating its runway was “intact,” the statement said.

Power, flight information systems and CCTV cameras were “fully restored”, the statement said.