Newsroom
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the northern tip of Cebu island Tuesday, sending residents running into the streets and causing damage to buildings, officials said.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the quake occurred at sea near the city of Bogo, home to more than 90,000 people. Authorities warned of aftershocks and urged residents in Cebu, Leyte, and Biliran provinces to stay away from the coast due to “minor sea level disturbances,” though the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported no tsunami threat.
Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro said damage assessments are ongoing and that the situation “could be worse than we think,” adding that she has requested aid from the president’s office. Provincial authorities reported the collapse of a commercial building and a school in Bantayan and damage to village roads, with the possibility that people may be trapped.
Local residents described scenes of panic. Martham Pacilan, 25, said she saw rocks fall from a church in Bantayan but was unharmed. Firefighter Joey Leeguid in San Fernando reported feeling dizziness and shaking at his station, but no injuries.
The U.S. Geological Survey recorded four more quakes of magnitude 5.0 or higher in the area after the initial tremor. Power outages were reported in some towns, including Daanbantayan, where part of a historic church partially collapsed.
The Philippines, located along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” experiences near-daily earthquakes. A magnitude 7 quake in July 2022 killed at least five people, while a large December 2023 tremor in the south killed one and forced thousands to evacuate.
With information from Al Jazeera.
