60 dead, over 100 injured in 6.9-magnitude earthquake hits Philippines

Manila: The death toll in the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Cebu province in the central Philippines on Tuesday night has risen to 60, the Philippines’ Office of Civil Defence (OCD) said on Wednesday. Dozens more have been injured, and rescue operations are ongoing.

According to Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro, the deputy administrator for the OCD, reports indicate that “as many as 60 individuals perished from this earthquake,” though the number of deaths is still being verified. Authorities continue to search for people trapped in debris, with the identities of the missing being confirmed.

The Cebu provincial disaster management office provided a breakdown of the fatalities: at least 30 in Bogo City, the epicentre of the quake, 22 in San Remigio town, 10 in Medellin, and one in Tabuelan town. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council had initially reported 26 deaths and at least 147 injuries.

Hospitals have been overwhelmed, with Cebu Provincial Hospital in Bogo City receiving a continuous influx of quake victims, putting immense strain on medical staff. The provincial government has declared a state of calamity, allowing local authorities to access emergency funds, provide relief and rehabilitation, and impose measures such as price freezes on essential goods to protect affected residents.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported that the quake struck at 9:59 p.m. local time on Tuesday. It was initially recorded at magnitude 6.7 before being revised to 6.9. The tremor hit at a shallow depth of five kilometres, approximately 19 kilometres northeast of Bogo City.

The earthquake was felt across neighbouring provinces in central Philippines, as well as some regions in the south. Several village roads sustained damage, and power lines tripped, causing outages across Cebu and nearby islands. The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines said electricity was restored in Cebu and four other major central islands shortly after midnight.

The Philippines lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a seismically active region prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.

With IANS inputs