A powerful magnitude-6.9 earthquake struck the Philippines on Tuesday, leaving at least 69 people dead and dozens more injured after houses and buildings collapsed in Cebu province.
The tremor, which hit about 19 kilometers northeast of the coastal city of Bogo — home to around 90,000 residents — sent people rushing out of their homes as power lines snapped and structures gave way. Authorities warned the death toll could rise as daylight assessments continue.
Raffy Alejandro, a civil defense official, said the hospital in Bogo had been “overwhelmed” by the influx of casualties. The official death count, based on figures from Cebu’s provincial disaster office, remained subject to verification, regional Civil Defense spokesperson Jane Abapo confirmed.
In Medellin, near Bogo, at least 12 residents were killed after ceilings and walls collapsed on them as they slept, said Gemma Villamor, head of the local disaster-mitigation office.
In neighboring San Remigio, five people — including three coastguard members, a firefighter, and a child — died when walls crumbled as they attempted to flee a basketball game, Vice Mayor Alfie Reynes told DZMM radio. Reynes appealed for food and water supplies, noting that the town’s water system had been severely damaged.
Seismologists reported the quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers and was followed by several aftershocks, the strongest registering magnitude 6.
World Vision’s Lucille Latonio, who was dining two to three hours from the epicenter, described the panic saying “The place started to shake and items from the shop fell down … people were panicking, shouting.”
