At least 69 people have died after a magnitude-6.9 earthquake struck Cebu province in the central Philippines late Tuesday night, leaving residents trapped in collapsed homes, nightclubs, and other buildings.
The quake, which hit around 10 p.m., had its epicentre near an undersea fault line at a shallow depth of just 5 kilometres (3 miles), about 19 km northeast of the coastal city of Bogo.
The city, home to roughly 90,000 people, accounted for about half of the reported fatalities, officials said.
Rescue operations intensified on Wednesday as army personnel, police, and civilian volunteers, aided by backhoes and sniffer dogs, carried out house-to-house searches for survivors.
Officials warned that the death toll in Bogo is likely to rise due to ongoing challenges, including intermittent rain and damaged bridges and roads.
ALSO READ: Centre approves Rs 6,957-crore project to widen Kalibor–Numaligarh NH section in Assam to four lanes
“We’re still in the golden hour of our search and rescue,” said Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV, deputy administrator of the Office of Civil Defence.
“There are still many reports of people who were pinned or trapped under debris.”
Authorities continue to work against the clock to reach those affected in both urban and rural areas, while assessing the full extent of the damage.
