Cebu: The death toll from the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Cebu province in the central Philippines on Tuesday night has climbed to 69, according to the Philippines’ Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on Wednesday. The earthquake, which had its epicenter in Bogo City, resulted in significant destruction and loss of life.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro, deputy administrator for the OCD, reported that the casualties include 30 fatalities in Bogo City, 10 in Medellin town, 22 in San Remigio town, five in Tabogon town, and one each in the municipalities of Sogod and Tabuelan. The victims were primarily killed by collapsed walls of houses and buildings.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) initially reported at least 147 injuries. However, Alejandro did not provide updated figures on the number of injured or missing individuals. The death toll is anticipated to rise as emergency workers continue their search and rescue operations for survivors trapped in the debris.

In response to the devastation, the province of Cebu has declared a state of calamity. This declaration allows the government and local government units to access emergency funds for relief and rehabilitation efforts and to impose measures such as price freezes on essential goods to protect affected residents.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology initially reported a 6.7-magnitude offshore earthquake, later revising the magnitude to 6.9. The quake struck at a depth of 5 km, approximately 19 km northeast of Bogo City. Tremors were felt in many neighboring provinces in the central Philippines and some regions in the southern Philippines, with more than 600 aftershocks recorded since Tuesday night.

The Philippines is located along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” making it a region prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity.