AT least 26 people have been killed and almost 150 injured in a powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of the central Philippine island province of Cebu, collapsing buildings, sending people running onto the streets, and knocking power out in some areas.
The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at 9:59pm local time on Tuesday (13:59 GMT) off Cebu Island’s northern tip near Bogo, a city of some 90,000 residents, and was followed by four earthquakes of magnitude 5 or higher in the area after the first tremor.
The Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council listed 26 deaths and 147 injuries as of early Wednesday, with 22 buildings damaged.
Local authorities have declared a “state of calamity” in parts of Cebu, according to local news outlets.
The quake caused power outages and brought down buildings, including a church that was more than 100 years old. Local television showed motorcycle riders being forced to dismount from their bikes and hold onto the railings as a Cebu bridge rocked violently.
The Cebu provincial government put out a call on its official Facebook page for medical volunteers to assist in the aftermath of the quake.
“We are still assessing the damage,” Pamela Baricuatro, the governor of Cebu, said in a video posted on social media.
“But it could be worse than we think,” Baricuatro said, adding that she has been in touch with the president’s office and is asking for aid.
Baricuatro later said that an unspecified number of houses and a hospital were damaged and emergency medical teams were being deployed to treat residents who were pinned down and injured.
“We’re sending already a trauma team there. Doctors and nurses are on the way,” the governor told the DZMM radio station. “We need medicine, food, medical teams.”
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology urged residents in the provinces of Cebu, Leyte and Biliran to stay away from the coast due to a “minor sea level disturbance”, and to “be on alert for unusual waves”.
Alfie Reynes, vice mayor of San Remigio town, which was badly hit by the quake, appealed for food and water for evacuees, as well as heavy equipment to aid search and rescue workers.
“It is raining heavily and there is no electricity, so we really need help, especially in the northern part, because there’s a scarcity of water after supply lines were damaged by the earthquake,” Reynes told DZMM radio.
Seven deaths were reported in San Remigio, including among personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection and three from the coastguard, police said.
“The victims were playing basketball inside the sports complex when it collapsed,” said police captain Jan Ace Elcid Layug.
At least 13 people, four of them minors, were also reported killed in Bogo City, and two deaths were reported in the towns of Medellin and Tabuelan, provincial officials said.
The Philippines lies in the Pacific Ring of Fire, where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common, and experiences near-daily earthquakes. A powerful magnitude 7 quake in July 2022 killed at least five people and injured 60.