At least one killed after strong 6.9 magnitude earthquake strikes central Philippines
By Brandon Miller, Eve Brennan, Yasmin Coles, CNN
(CNN) — At least one person has died following a 6.9-magnitude earthquake in central Philippines, according to local authorities, as fears rise about considerable destruction.
The strong earthquake struck around 10 p.m. local time, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), only around 10 kilometers (6 miles) underwater, just west of Palompon in the Philippines, and close to the city of Bogo in Cebu province.
A quake of this strength in the region could cause casualties and damage to poorly built structures, early survey models suggest. The Municipality of Medellin in Cebu reported that at least one person has died and “many” are injured.
Footage shared on social media from Cebu province showed a fire breaking out at a mall due to the earthquake, as well as a badly damaged McDonald’s. Beauty pageant contestants were seen in another video running off the stage as the earthquake started.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) – which recorded multiple aftershocks close to the epicenter in the hours after the initial earthquake – cancelled its tsunami alert for the Leyte, Biliran, and Cebu provinces early Wednesday morning local time.
Cebu Governor Pam Baricuatro urged residents to remain calm in a social media video, saying the presidential office confirmed to her it will send immediate aid to Cebu. “Know that the provincial government is doing its best, help is coming,” she said.
The Medellin municipality in Cebu added in its Facebook post that classes have been suspended until further notice, and work has been suspended until facilities and buildings are assessed.
More than half a million people felt very strong shaking across the Visayan Islands, which include Cebu, Biliran, and Leyte in central Philippines, according to estimates from USGS.
Very strong shaking will bring “considerable damage in poorly built or badly designed structures” as well as “slight to moderate damage in well-built ordinary structures,” according to the USGS.
The Philippines sits along the Ring of Fire, a 25,000-mile (40,000-kilometer) arc of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean that hosts more than half of the world’s volcanoes.
In 2022, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in northern Luzon – the country’s most populous island – killed at least five and injured over 100 people. In 2019, a 6.1-magnitude earthquake, also in Luzon, killed at least 11.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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CNN’s Avery Schmitz and Thomas Bordeaux contributed to this report.
