At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
The earthquake struck just before 10 p.m. local time (1400 GMT) on Tuesday, with the epicentre in northern Cebu at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) initially reported the quake as magnitude 7.0, later revising it to 6.9. Multiple aftershocks followed, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.
The death toll has risen to 69, a civil defence official said on Wednesday. Civil defence deputy administrator Raffy Alejandro said in a briefing that the number remains "fluid" as more reports come in from responders.
The tremor caused widespread damage, including partially collapsed buildings such as Sts. Peter and Paul Church on Bantayan Island and a fast-food outlet in Bogo, Cebu. Schools in Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Talisay, Minglanilla, Consolacion, and Liloan were closed on Wednesday as a precaution.
An ammonia leak at a beverage plant in Mandaue was contained by firefighters, while authorities remain on standby for possible evacuations of people from the area.
The quake also triggered power outages and raised initial concerns over tsunami risk. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) briefly issued a tsunami warning and warned of strong currents and unusual waves, but the threat was later lifted.
Cebu City, home to nearly one million people, lies within the Pacific 'Ring of Fire,' an area prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity.
The Philippines experienced two major earthquakes in January this year with no casualties, while a 6.7-magnitude offshore quake in 2023 killed eight people.
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