Hanoi (VNA) – The death toll from the magnitude-6.9 earthquake that struck northern Cebu Island in the central Philippines on the evening of September 30 has climbed to 69, according to the latest update from the Philippine Civil Defence Agency.
The quake also left 147 injured and caused severe damage to 22 buildings.
In Bogo city, the sharp rise in the number of injured has left the local hospital overwhelmed. Dozens of patients, including many children, are being treated on makeshift beds in tents outside the facility due to fears that aftershocks could bring down the building.
Several critical cases have been transferred to Cebu city, about 100km away. Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro confirmed that many severely injured patients have had to receive treatment outdoors.
Local media posted videos of people rushing out of their homes as the ground shook and buildings collapsed, including a church that was more than 100 years old.
Philippine seismology agency Phivolcs said close to 800 aftershocks have been recorded and warned affected areas to expect more tremors in the coming days, although their strength is expected to gradually diminish.
Initially measured at magnitude 6.7, the earthquake was later revised to 6.9, with a focal depth of 5–10 km. The tremor was felt across several central provinces and parts of southern Philippines. A tsunami warning was issued and cancelled three hours later.
The Philippines, one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, is often hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of seismic faults around the ocean. The archipelago is also lashed by about 20 typhoons and storms each year./.
Philippines: 26 people die, 147 injured in Cebu earthquake
The shallow earthquake with its epicentre off Cebu Island collapsed or damaged at least 22 buildings in the central region of the Philippines.
