Philippines: At least 69 people have been confirmed dead and nearly 150 injured after a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Cebu province in the central Philippines late on Tuesday night.
The death toll, which has risen sharply from initial reports of 26, is expected to increase further as search and rescue operations continue.
The United States Geological Survey reported that the quake struck at 9:59 pm local time (13:59 GMT), with its epicentre near the northern tip of Cebu Island, close to Bogo City, a coastal city of about 90,000 residents. The tremor was followed by at least four aftershocks of magnitude 5 or higher, adding to the destruction.
Rescue teams, including army personnel, police units, and civilian volunteers supported by heavy equipment and sniffer dogs, are combing through collapsed homes and structures to find survivors. βWeβre still in the golden hour of our search and rescue,β said Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV, deputy administrator of the Office of Civil Defense.
Authorities have declared a state of calamity in parts of Cebu. Power outages swept through affected towns, while buildings, including homes, hospitals, and churches, suffered significant damage. Local television footage showed a Cebu bridge swaying violently as terrified motorcycle riders dismounted and clung to railings.
Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro appealed for urgent medical support, food, and water, noting that the scale of destruction could be worse than we think. Emergency trauma teams and medical volunteers were being deployed to treat the injured, while appeals for medicine and food supplies flooded local social media channels.
Hard-hit towns include San Remigio, where seven deaths were reported, including personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection and the coastguard. Thirteen people, among them minors, were killed in Bogo City, while casualties were also reported in Medellin and Tabuelan. The Archdiocesan Shrine of Santa Rosa de Lima in Daanbantayan partially collapsed, while power outages were reported across northern Cebu.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology warned residents of Cebu, Leyte, and Biliran to avoid coastal areas due to a minor sea level disturbance.
The Philippines sits along the Pacific βRing of Fire,β where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are frequent. The latest disaster comes after a magnitude 7 earthquake killed five people in July 2022 and another strong quake struck the south in December 2023.
