At least 69 people killed in powerful earthquake that hit Philippines

Rescuers used backhoes and sniffer dogs to look for survivors in collapsed houses and other damaged buildings in the central Philippines on Wednesday a day after an earthquake killed at least 69 peopleThe death toll was expected to rise from the magnitude69 earthquake that hit at about 10 pm on Tuesday and trapped an unspecified number of residents in the hardhit city of Bogo and outlying rural towns in Cebu provinceSporadic rain and damaged bridges and roads have hampered the race to save lives officials saidWere still in the golden hour of our search and rescue Office of Civil Defence deputy administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said in a news briefing There are still many reports of people who were pinned or hit by debrisThe epicentre of the earthquake which was set off by movement in an undersea fault line at a dangerously shallow depth of 5 kilometres 3 miles was about 19 kilometres 12 miles northeast of Bogo a coastal city of about 90000 people in Cebu province where about half of the deaths were reported officials saidThe Philippine government is considering whether to seek help from foreign governments based on an ongoing rapid damage assessment Alejandro saidThe United States Japan Australia and the European Union expressed condolencesWe stand ready to support the Philippine governments response as friends partners allies MaryKay Carlson US ambassador to the Philippines said in a post on social media platform XThe Embassy community offers our deepest condolences to those affected by the earthquake in Cebu Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected We stand ready to support the governmentrsquos response as FriendsPartnersAllies monitoring phivolcs_dostmdash Ambassador MaryKay L Carlson USAmbPH October 1 2025Workers were trying to transport a backhoe to hasten search and rescue efforts in a cluster of shanties in a mountain village hit by a landslide and boulders Bogo city disastermitigation officer Rex Ygot told The Associated Press early WednesdayIts hard to move in the area because there are hazards said Glenn Ursal another disastermitigation officer who added that some survivors were brought to a hospital from the mountain villageDeaths also were reported from the outlying towns of Medellin and San Remigio where three coast guard personnel a firefighter and a child were killed separately by collapsing walls and falling debris while trying to flee to safety from a basketball game in a sports complex that was disrupted by the quake town officials saidThe earthquake was one of the most powerful to batter the central region in more than a decade and it struck while many people slept or were at homeThe Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology briefly issued a tsunami warning and advised people to stay away from the coastlines of Cebu and the nearby provinces of Leyte and Biliran due to possible waves of up to 1 metre 3 feetNo such waves were reported and the tsunami warning was lifted more than three hours later but thousands of traumatised residents refused to return home and chose to stay in open grassy fields and parks overnight despite intermittent rainsCebu and other provinces were still recovering from a tropical storm that battered the central region on Friday leaving at least 27 people dead mostly due to drownings and falling trees knocking out power in entire cities and towns and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of peopleSchools and government offices were closed in the quakehit cities and towns while the safety of buildings was checked More than 600 aftershocks have been detected after Tuesday nights temblor Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology director Teresito Bacolcol saidRainsoaked mountainsides were more susceptible to land and mudslides in a major earthquake he warnedThis was really traumatic to people Theyve been lashed by a storm and then jolted by an earthquake Bacolcol said I dont want to experience what theyve gone throughThe Philippines one of the worlds most disasterprone 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 yearThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever