Cebu Island [Philippines], October 1 (ANI): At least 60 people have been confirmed dead and nearly 150 injured after a powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the coast of the central Philippine island province of Cebu, Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake hit at 9:59 p.m. local time on Tuesday (13:59 GMT) near Bogo, a city on Cebu Island’s northern tip with a population of about 90,000 residents. The initial tremor was followed by four aftershocks, each with a magnitude of 5 or higher.
Rafaelito Alejandro, deputy administrator of the Philippines Office of Civil Defence, confirmed the new death toll on Wednesday, marking a sharp increase from the 26 deaths initially reported by the country’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
“We are receiving additional numbers of reported casualties, so this situation is very fluid. Reports indicate that as many as 60 individuals may have perished in this earthquake,” Alejandro told reporters in Manila.
Local authorities have declared a “state of calamity” in parts of Cebu. The powerful quake caused widespread power outages and structural damage, including the collapse of several buildings. The Cebu provincial government issued a call on its official Facebook page for medical volunteers to assist in the emergency response.
“We are still assessing the damage, but it could be worse than we think,” Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro said in a video message posted on social media. She added that she has been in touch with the president’s office to request aid.
Baricuatro later confirmed that an unspecified number of homes and a hospital were damaged by the quake. Emergency medical teams have been deployed to treat injured residents, Al Jazeera reported.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology urged residents in Cebu, Leyte, and Biliran provinces to avoid coastal areas due to a “minor sea level disturbance” and to remain alert for unusual waves. (ANI)
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