Philippines: Death toll rises to 69 as magnitude 6.9 earthquake hits, 600+ aftershocks recorded

Manila: A powerful earthquake that struck central Philippine islands on Tuesday night has claimed at least 69 lives, up from an initial count of 27, with ongoing aftershocks (600+ recorded as of mid-day Wednesday) complicating rescue efforts.

“We’re still in the golden hour of our search and rescue,” Office of Civil Defense deputy administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said in a news briefing. “There are still many reports of people who were pinned or hit by debris.”

The epicenter of the earthquake, which was set off by movement in an undersea fault line at a dangerously shallow depth of 5 kilometers (3 miles), was about 19 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Bogo, a coastal city of about 90,000 people in Cebu province where about half of the deaths were reported, officials said.

Northern Cebu's Bogo was hardest-hit city, with multiple casualties, while the tremors were also felt in the at least 3 regions in the Asian country (Regions 6, 7 and 8).

Due to the series aftershocks, hospital staff were seen treating their patients in open areas.

"Resources will reach those who need them," an official of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) told local media, adding that the military and civilian resources had been mobilised to help in the search, rescue and disaster response.

Authorities are working closely with local government units to verify casualty figures. A mall in Cebu collapsed, and a McDonald's store was damaged during the magnitude 6.9 quake.

Several historic churches were reportedly damaged. Seismologists have revised the tremor's initial magnitude from 6.7 to 6.9.

In Bogo City, close to the epicentre, the earthquake was reported to have reached magnitude 7.

A hospital in Bogo, Cebu, is reportedly "overwhelmed" as search and rescue operations continue in affected areas, including Bogo City, Daanbantayan, and San Remigio.

Employees in a Cebu mall fled to safety when part of the structure collapsed during the earthquake.

"Golden hour," the critical 24-hour period with the highest survivability rate, remains the focus. "We will assess based on our ground commanders," the official added.