At least 69 people have been killed after a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Cebu province in the central Philippines late on Tuesday, collapsing homes, roads and public buildings in a region still reeling from a deadly storm just days earlier.
Officials said 14 people died in the coastal city of Bogo, where a landslide buried shanties in a mountain village. Twelve others were killed in Medellin town after ceilings and walls of houses gave way, while five people, including three coast guard personnel and a firefighter, died in San Remigio when a basketball game was disrupted by the tremor and they were crushed by falling walls.
Rescue teams were struggling to reach cut-off villages amid cracked highways, damaged water systems and widespread power outages. Hundreds of residents spent the night in open fields, fearing aftershocks.
The quake’s epicentre was about 19km northeast of Bogo at a shallow depth of 5km. A brief tsunami warning was issued and later lifted.
Cebu governor Pamela Baricuatro warned the full extent of the destruction may only become clear in daylight.
Key Points
- Death toll rises to 69
- Mapped: When and where did the earthquake strike?
- Multiple cities placed under 'state of calamity'
- Video: People hold each other as earthquake hits
Photos: Rescuers search collapsed building where 3 people are missing
06:29
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Stuti Mishra
Photo: Road left with a crack after earthquake
06:15
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Stuti Mishra
Cebu jolted by hundreds of aftershocks after 6.9-magnitude quake
05:55
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Stuti Mishra
Hundreds of aftershocks have jolted Cebu since the deadly earthquake struck last night.
At least 611 such tremors had been recorded, with most of them hitting Bogo City, according to Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
Photo: Injured receive treatment at makeshift emergency station
05:50
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Stuti Mishra
Officials fear death toll could climb further
05:40
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Stuti Mishra
The death toll in the Philippines continues to rise as rescuers reach areas hit by landslides and collapsed homes they couldn't access overnight.
In Bogo City, where at least 14 residents were killed, disaster-mitigation officer Rex Ygot told the Associated Press that workers are trying to bring in a backhoe to speed up search efforts in a mountain village buried by rocks and mud.
"It's hard to move in the area because there are hazards," said another disaster mitigation officer, Glenn Ursal, adding some survivors have been taken to hospital.
Cebu governor Pamela Baricuatro warned in a video posted on Facebook that the true scale of damage and casualties in northern towns will only become clear later.
"It could be worse than we think," she says.
Hundreds of residents in Bogo gather overnight in a grassy field near a fire station and refuse to return to their homes.
Video: People hold each other as earthquake hits
05:17
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Stuti Mishra
Multiple cities placed under 'state of calamity'
05:00
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Stuti Mishra
Several cities across Cebu, including Bogo, San Remigio, Tabuelan and Medellin, have been placed under a "state of calamity" following yesterday night’s 6.9-magnitude earthquake, allowing local authorities to tap emergency funds and speed up relief efforts.
Vice Governor Glenn Soco announced that after meeting with provincial leaders, they “officially declared the entire province under a State of Calamity.”
“This declaration is necessary to give our provincial government the ability to respond quickly and effectively. It allows us to mobilise resources, extend immediate assistance to affected families, and implement rehabilitation measures as we begin our recovery,” Soco said in a Facebook post.
Classes have been suspended throughout the province and telecommunications have also gone down in Bogo, San Remigio, and Daanbantayan.
Death toll rises to 69
04:43
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Stuti Mishra
The death toll from a magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck central Philippines has risen to 69 in Cebu province, an official has said, according to Reuters news agency.
Civil defence deputy administrator Raffy Alejandro said at a briefing that the number remains "fluid" as more reports come in from responders.
When and where did the earthquake strike?
04:25
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Stuti Mishra
The 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Bogo City in Cebu province in the central Visayas just before 10pm local time (2pm GMT) yesterday toppling buildings, cutting power and damaging a century-old church.
The tremor hit hardest in northern Cebu, including San Remigio.
Cebu, one of the Philippines’ most popular tourist regions with a population of 3.4 million, is also home to the country’s second-busiest gateway, Mactan-Cebu International Airport, which remained operational despite the quake.
At least 31 dead after 6.9-magnitude earthquake
04:00
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Stuti Mishra
At least 31 people have been killed after a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Cebu province in the central Philippines late on Tuesday, collapsing homes, roads and public buildings in a region still reeling from a deadly storm just days earlier.
Officials said 14 people died in the coastal city of Bogo, where a landslide buried shanties in a mountain village. Twelve others were killed in Medellin town after ceilings and walls of houses gave way, while five people, including three coast guard personnel and a firefighter, died in San Remigio when a basketball game was disrupted by the tremor and they were crushed by falling walls.
