At least 69 people were killed when a powerful earthquake struck Cebu province in the central Philippines late Tuesday night, officials said, leaving residents trapped in collapsed homes, nightclubs, and other businesses in the city of Bogo and surrounding rural towns.
The magnitude-6.9 quake hit around 10 p.m., originating from an undersea fault at a shallow depth of 5 kilometers (3 miles), about 19 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Bogo, a coastal city of roughly 90,000 people. About half of the confirmed deaths were reported in Bogo, though officials warned the toll could rise as rescue operations continued. Army troops, police, and civilian volunteers, supported by backhoes and sniffer dogs, carried out house-to-house searches for survivors, but rain and damaged roads and bridges were hampering efforts.
Officials said some residents were trapped under debris in mountain villages where landslides and boulders blocked access. In Medellin and San Remigio, additional deaths included three coast guard personnel, a firefighter, and a child who were killed by collapsing walls and falling debris while fleeing a sports complex. Survivors were being treated at hospitals, and authorities considered requesting international aid after rapid damage assessments.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology briefly issued a tsunami warning for Cebu and nearby provinces Leyte and Biliran, but no significant waves were reported, and the warning was lifted within three hours. Many residents remained outdoors overnight in fields and parks, fearful of returning home, as intermittent rains continued.
Cebu and surrounding provinces were still recovering from a tropical storm that struck the region on Friday, killing at least 27 people and leaving widespread flooding and power outages. Schools and government offices in affected areas were closed for structural safety inspections. More than 600 aftershocks were recorded following the quake, raising concerns about potential landslides on rain-soaked mountainsides.
The Philippines, located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” is highly prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and experiences roughly 20 typhoons annually, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.
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