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Death toll reaches 69 after 6.9 magnitude earthquake in Cebu, Philippines

The devastating magnitude 6.9 earthquake on the northern coast of Cebu, a central Philippine island, killed at least 69 people and injured nearly 150, according to local reports.

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DY365

Death toll reaches 69 after 6.9 magnitude earthquake in Cebu, Philippines

The devastating magnitude 6.9 earthquake on the northern coast of Cebu, a central Philippine island, killed at least 69 people and injured nearly 150, according to local reports.

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The United States Geological Survey reported the quake hit at 9:59 p.m. local time (13:59 GMT) near Bogo, a city of approximately 90,000 residents, followed by four additional tremors of magnitude 5 or higher.

The death toll, confirmed on Wednesday by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, rose sharply from an earlier report of 26 fatalities and is expected to climb as rescue efforts continue. Search and rescue teams, including army personnel, police, and civilian volunteers, supported by heavy machinery and sniffer dogs, are conducting door-to-door searches for survivors.

“We are still within the critical first hours of search and rescue,” said Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV, deputy administrator of the Office of Civil Defence, during a press briefing. “Many individuals remain trapped or injured by fallen debris.”

Parts of Cebu have been declared under a “state of calamity” due to widespread damage, including power outages and collapsed buildings. Local media captured footage of motorcyclists in Cebu clinging to bridge railings as the structure swayed violently during the quake.

Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro, in a social media video, urged for national assistance, stating, “The damage may be more severe than we currently understand.” She confirmed that several homes and a hospital sustained damage, and emergency medical teams are being dispatched to assist those trapped or injured.

“We’re mobilising trauma teams, doctors, and nurses, and we urgently need medical supplies, food, and additional medical personnel,” Baricuatro told DZMM radio.

The Cebu provincial government issued a public call for medical volunteers via its official Facebook page to aid in the disaster response.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology warned residents in Cebu, Leyte, and Biliran to avoid coastal areas due to a “minor sea level disturbance” and to remain vigilant for unusual wave activity.