(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
A powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake rocked the northern tip of Cebu Island in the central Philippines late Tuesday, leaving at least 69 people dead and over 150 injured, officials said Wednesday.
The quake hit at 9:59 p.m. local time near the coastal city of Bogo, home to about 90,000 residents, according to the United States Geological Survey. Four aftershocks measuring 5.0 or higher followed soon after, rattling the area even more.
Rafaelito Alejandro, deputy administrator of the Philippines Office of Civil Defence, shared the updated death toll in Manila. “We’re getting more reports of casualties, and the situation is still changing fast,” he told reporters. Earlier counts from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council had put the number at just 26, but Alejandro noted figures as high as 60 in initial updates from the scene.
Local news reports say authorities have declared a state of calamity in parts of Cebu to speed up emergency response. The temblor knocked out power across the region and toppled buildings, trapping people inside.
Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro posted a video on social media, urging calm while teams assessed the damage. “It’s looking bad, possibly worse than we expected,” she said. She’s already reached out to the president’s office for extra help and called for medical volunteers on the province’s official Facebook page.
Baricuatro added that several houses and a hospital suffered serious damage. Emergency medical teams are rushing in to treat the wounded.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology warned residents in Cebu, Leyte, and Biliran provinces to steer clear of the coast. A minor sea level change could trigger unusual waves, they said, so people need to stay alert. Rescue efforts continue amid fears the toll from this Philippines earthquake could climb higher.
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