The death toll from a 6.9-magnitude earthquake that hit the central Philippines rose to 69 on Wednesday, a disaster official said, as authorities mounted a rescue effort to find survivors after one of the country’s strongest quakes in a decade.
The shallow quake struck late on Tuesday off the coast of the island of Cebu, cutting power and damaging buildings. It was not immediately clear how many people were missing.
The death toll was 69 as of late Wednesday morning, said Jane Abapo of the regional Civil Defense office, citing data from the provincial disaster agency that was subject to validation.
The national disaster agency earlier said the toll could be as high as 60, with 150 reported injured.
The hospital in Bogo City near the epicentre of the quake was “overwhelmed”, Civil Defense official Raffy Alejandro told reporters.
The Philippine coast guard deployed a vessel carrying dozens of doctors, nurses and other medical personnel bound for Bogo, while President Ferdinand Marcos Jr assured survivors of swift assistance, with cabinet secretaries on the ground directing relief operations.
“We are assessing the damage, we are assessing the needs,” Marcos told reporters after distributing aid in Masbate, an island recovering from the impact of Super typhoon Ragasa last week.
Mariano Martinez, the mayor of San Remigio municipality close to Bogo, said there were 11 casualties in the area, with victims as young as 12 and the death toll expected to climb.
“Our first main problem is finding the casualties, identifying people who needs help”, he told DZMM radio, adding many homes had suffered damage.
RING OF FIRE
Earthquake monitoring agencies put the quake’s depth at around 6.2 miles and recorded multiple aftershocks, the strongest having a magnitude of 6.
There was no tsunami threat following the quake.
The Philippines lies in the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common. The country had two major earthquakes in January, with no casualties reported.
In 2023, a 6.7 magnitude offshore earthquake killed eight people.
San Remigio Vice Mayor Alfie Reynes said among those killed were people who were playing basketball in a sports complex when it partially collapsed.
She appealed for food and water for evacuees, as well as heavy equipment to aid search and rescue workers.
“It is raining heavily and there is no electricity so we really need help, especially in the northern part because there’s a scarcity of water after supply lines were damaged by the earthquake,” Reynes said.
Local media posted videos of people rushing out of their homes as the ground shook and buildings collapsed, including a church that was more than 100 years old.
Cebu, one of the Philippines’ most popular tourist destinations, is home to 3.4 million people. It was not immediately clear the extent of the damage in other areas of the island.
The Mactan-Cebu International Airport, the country’s second busiest gateway, remained operational.
Philippine seismology agency Phivolcs said close to 800 aftershocks have been recorded and warned affected areas to expect more tremors in the coming days, although their strength is expected to gradually diminish.
It reported tremors as far south as Zamboanga del Norte, 205 miles away.
In the town of Pilar, resident Archel Coraza said most of his family were asleep when their house began to shake violently.
“I woke them up and we all rushed outside into the street,” he told DZMM.
