Manila - At least 69 people were killed in a strong earthquake that rocked the central Philippines, toppling buildings, cutting power, and sending residents fleeing into the streets, officials said on Wednesday.
Over 140 people were injured in the magnitude 6.9 quake that hit the central province of Cebu and nearby provinces on Tuesday evening, the national disaster agency said.
Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV, deputy administrator for the Office of Civil Defense, said most of the fatalities were caused by falling debris. The death toll could still rise, he added, but expressed hope that the number "would not reach three digits."
He said priority was search and rescue operations, especially in Bogo City, the epicentre of the offshore quake.
"There are still aftershocks, and many do not want to return to their homes, especially in Bogo City," Alejandro added.
The fatalities included 30 people in Bogo City, Cebu, where a landslide triggered by the quake buried houses, according to the provincial disaster risk reduction office.
Bodies were placed outside Cebu Provincial Hospital, the municipality's primary medical facility, where all patients had to be evacuated.
In San Remigio town, 22 people were killed in the tremor, the provincial disaster office said.
Five people, including a Bureau of Fire Protection officer and three coast guard members, were killed when a sports complex collapsed.
"The victims were playing basketball inside the sports complex when it collapsed," said police captain Jan Ace Elcid Layug.
Two other fatalities were reported in the towns of Medellin and Tabuelan, the provincial office said.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs)reported over 600 aftershocks, the strongest measuring magnitude 4.8. A tsunami alert warning of waves up to one metre was issued shortly after the quake.
Footage shared on social media showed various damaged structures, including heritage churches, and people panicking.
One video showed people praying while taking cover under a table as ceilings collapsed inside a shopping mall. Another showed vehicles stopping on a bridge as it swayed.
Streets in the affected areas were littered with debris, while some roads were cracked. In Tabuelan town, a highway was blocked by a landslide, while a fire broke out in a mall in Consolacion town, the disaster agency said.
Emma Santillan, who lives in central Cebu with her husband and two children, and who is seven months pregnant, described her family’s panic after their home shook violently during the quake.
“It felt like the end of the world,” said Santillan, 40. “We prayed. Took cover and ran outside after. All the neighbors were outside. And then it rained hard after the quake. What was happening?”
The authorities announced that schools and government buildings in Cebu would be closed on Wednesday to allow for damage inspections.
The Archdiocese of Cebu stated that churches had been “gravely affected” and should not be used for Masses until they had been inspected. Several appeared to have been badly damaged. Photos posted on the Facebook page of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Santa Rosa de Lima in Cebu showed that parts of the stone structure had collapsed into rubble.
Local news reports also showed photos of damaged fast-food restaurants and apartment buildings.
The authorities had warned of a “minor sea-level disturbance” after the earthquake and urged people to stay away from the shore, but later canceled the warning after the danger appeared to pass.
Earthquakes are common in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands that straddles the Ring of Fire, a region in the Pacific where tectonic plates grind together. In November 2023, a 6.7-magnitude earthquake shook the southern Philippines, killing at least seven people and injuring hundreds.
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