At least 69 people were killed and more than 100 injured after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck central Philippines Tuesday night, flattening buildings, as officials hastened search and rescue efforts.
Most of the deaths happened as people were crushed in their homes or hit by fallen debris, Civil Defense Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said by phone on Wednesday. “We’re still receiving reports that some villages still need assistance in terms of rescue,” he said in a separate briefing.
The national disaster management agency said at least 147 people were injured, with around 1,000 individuals evacuated. Bogo City in the northern part of Cebu province was the epicenter of the temblor which hit around 10 p.m. local time. Work and schools in parts of Cebu, a major industrial and tourist hub, and nearby provinces have been suspended, GMA News reported.
“Help is coming. Maybe the president might arrive today,” Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro told reporters in a Bogo City hospital, adding that an aerial assessment showed damaged homes and structures. “This is so heartbreaking.”
Baricuatro earlier said she’s in touch with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s office as the quake’s damage “could be worse than we think.”
Images posted on social media showed people rushing out to the streets as the quake hit, with buildings and churches collapsing. Marcos extended his sympathies to the families affected, assuring residents that government agencies have been mobilized to assist, conduct search and rescue operations, and restore essential services.
Assessment of the destruction from the quake is underway, Diego Mariano, spokesman for the national disaster management agency, said by phone. “This was a highly urbanized area so we expect many structures to have been damaged,” he said.
Tuesday’s quake was the deadliest to hit the Southeast Asian nation since a tremor in Bohol, Cebu and Siquijor provinces killed 222 people in October 2013, data from the government and aid agencies show.
The Philippines is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, making the archipelago prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Photograph: A rescuer at the site of a collapsed building in Bogo City on Oct. 1, 2025. Photo credit: Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty Images
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