Manila, Oct 1: The death toll from the powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Cebu province in the central Philippines has climbed to 69, officials from the Office of Civil Defence (OCD) confirmed on Wednesday.
Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro, Deputy Administrator of the OCD, said in a public briefing that 30 fatalities were recorded in Bogo City, the epicentre of the quake. Medellin town reported 10 deaths, San Remigio 22, Tabogon five, while one each was reported in Sogod and Tabuelan municipalities. Most victims died after being crushed by collapsed walls of houses and buildings.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) earlier reported at least 147 injuries, though Alejandro did not provide updated figures on the injured or missing. Search and rescue operations are ongoing, and authorities warned that the death toll could rise further as emergency responders comb through debris and collapsed structures.
Cebu province has been placed under a state of calamity to allow local governments to quickly mobilize calamity funds for relief, rehabilitation, and emergency assistance. The declaration also authorizes measures such as price freezes on basic commodities to protect affected communities.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) initially recorded the quake as magnitude 6.7 before revising it to 6.9. The tremor struck at 9:59 p.m. Tuesday at a shallow depth of 5 km, with the epicentre located about 19 km northeast of Bogo City.
The quake was felt in many parts of the central Philippines and some areas in the south. Phivolcs also reported that more than 600 aftershocks have been detected since Tuesday night, further alarming residents.
Located along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” the Philippines is highly prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity.
