At least 69 killed after earthquake hits Philippines

A church is heavily damaged during a strong earthquake in the Philippines

At least 69 people, including three coast guard personnel, a firefighter and a child, have died after an earthquake measuring 6.9 hit central Philippines.

The earthquake was centred about 17 kilometres (10 miles) northeast of Bogo, a coastal city of about 90,000 people in Cebu province, and struck about 10 p.m. local time.

Communities were left without power and water while buildings, including a fire station, and roads were damaged. Videos show residents running out onto the streets in search of a safe place.

“We were in our barracks to retire for the day when the ground started to shake and we rushed out but stumbled to the ground because of the intense shaking,” Cañete told The Associated Press by telephone, adding that he and three other firemen sustained cuts and bruises.

People run into the street seeking safety. / Credit:

The extent of the damage and injuries would not be known until daytime, Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro said.

“We’re sending already a trauma team there, doctors and nurses are on the way,” Baricuatro told the DZMM radio network. ”We need medicine, food, medical teams.”

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology briefly issued a tsunami warning and advised people to stay away from the coastlines in Cebu and in the nearby provinces of Leyte and Biliran due to possible waves of up to 1 metre (3 feet).

Teresito Bacolcol, director of the institute, told The AP that the tsunami warning was later lifted with no unusual waves being monitored.

Central Philippine provinces were still recovering from a storm that hit 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 people.

The Philippines, one of the world’s most disaster-prone 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 year.