BFP defers quake death updates to OCD

To avoid confusion, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) announced that it is now deferring to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in releasing official updates on the death toll from the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Mindanao.

- By EMMANUEL TUPAS

The move follows a report of the BFP on Wednesday that announced 53 people had died in the powerful earthquake, which is higher than the OCD’s Friday figure of 46 fatalities.

Superintendent Anthony Arroyo, BFP spokesman, said that while the agency continues to receive updates from its regional offices in Mindanao, the OCD remains the official source of consolidated public reports and that casualty figures are still subject to validation.