Powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake hits central Philippines, killing at least 69 people

Published on 01/10/2025 - 7:45 GMT+2

A powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck nan cardinal Philippines precocious Tuesday, sidesplitting astatine slightest 69 group and injuring galore others, officials person said. Efforts are presently underway by nan authorities to hunt for survivors and reconstruct powerfulness and h2o supplies.

At slightest 14 residents died and nan infirmary was overwhelmed successful Bogo, a coastal metropolis successful nan Cebu state pinch a organization of astir 90,000 people, which lies astir 19 kilometres from nan epicentre of nan shallow quake. The decease toll successful nan metropolis is expected to rise, section authorities said.

Over a twelve group were besides killed successful Medellin adjacent Bogo erstwhile they were deed by falling ceilings and walls of their houses, nan town's disaster-mitigation agency reported.

And successful San Remigio, besides adjacent Bogo, 5 group were killed by collapsing walls erstwhile they were trying to fly a hoops crippled they were attending erstwhile nan earthquake struck, nan town's politician Alfie Reynes told section media.

Reynes appealed for nutrient and water, arsenic San Remigio's h2o strategy was damaged by nan tremors, arsenic good arsenic instrumentality for hunt and rescue efforts.

Pamela Baricuatro, nan politician of Cebu, location to 3.4 cardinal group and a celebrated tourer destination, said nan grade of nan harm and injuries successful Bogo and outlying towns successful nan northbound of nan state would not beryllium known until daytime.

“It could beryllium worse than we think,” he said successful a video connection connected Facebook.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology concisely issued a tsunami informing and advised group to enactment distant from nan coastlines successful Cebu and successful adjacent provinces of Leyte and Biliran, but nan informing was lifted aft nary different waves had been monitored.

The earthquake comes little than a week aft nan area was battered by back-to-back storms, Bualoi and Ragasa. The Philippines is 1 of nan world's astir disaster-prone countries and is often deed by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions owed to its location connected nan Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of seismic faults astir nan ocean.