By Michelle Ndaga
A devastating 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck northern Cebu late Tuesday, killing at least 69 people and injuring more than 140, while dozens more remain trapped beneath collapsed buildings.
The quake hit at 9:59 p.m. local time near Bogo City, about 19 kilometers northeast of Cebu, at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the shallow depth amplified the tremors, causing widespread destruction across several municipalities.
In San Remigio, a sports complex roof collapsed during a basketball game, killing at least four people.
A century-old church in Daanbantayan was reduced to rubble, while homes, schools, and public buildings crumbled in multiple towns. Authorities declared a state of calamity in San Remigio and other hard-hit areas to speed up relief and recovery efforts.
More than 300 rescuers, including soldiers, police, and volunteers, are working around the clock with heavy machinery and sniffer dogs to reach survivors. However, aftershocks more than 600 recorded, including a strong 6.0-magnitude tremor continue to hamper operations.
A tsunami alert was briefly issued for Cebu, Leyte, and Biliran provinces but was lifted after no unusual sea activity was detected.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has pledged immediate relief and ordered national agencies to coordinate closely with local governments. Power outages, damaged roads, and blocked communication lines have slowed emergency response in some areas.
The Philippines, which lies along the seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire”, experiences hundreds of earthquakes each year. Experts warned the Cebu quake may have originated from a previously unmapped fault line, raising concerns about hidden risks in the region.
The tragedy comes just days after a tropical storm battered parts of the central Philippines, compounding the hardship for communities now struggling with back-to-back disasters. Officials fear the death toll could rise as rescuers dig deeper into collapsed structures in search of survivors.
