The death toll from a 6,9-magnitude earthquake that struck the central Philippines has risen to 69, local authorities announced this morning.
A strong earthquake, with a magnitude of 6,9 and an epicenter under the sea off the central Philippine islands, struck last night, trapping an unknown number of people in collapsed buildings, nightclubs and other places in the hard-hit city of Bogo and rural areas in Cebu province, officials said.
Rescuers are working frantically to save people, with the military, police, and civilian volunteers participating, along with search dogs.
The epicenter of the quake was about 19 kilometers northeast of Bogo, a coastal city of about 90.000 people in Cebu province, where about half of the reported deaths are, officials said.
"We are still in the golden hour of search and rescue. There are still many reports of people being trapped or hit by debris," said Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro, deputy director of the Civil Defense Office, in a statement to the media.
He said the Philippine government was considering whether to seek assistance from foreign governments and that a rapid damage assessment was underway.
Deaths were also reported in the cities of Medellin and San Remigio, where three people were killed by collapsing walls and other debris as they tried to escape to safety during a basketball game at a sports complex, city officials said.
The earthquake was one of the strongest to hit the central Philippines in more than a decade and occurred while many people were sleeping or at home.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology briefly issued a tsunami warning and advised people to stay away from the coasts of Cebu and the nearby provinces of Leyte and Biliran due to possible waves of up to one meter high.
No such waves were reported and the tsunami warning was lifted more than three hours later, but thousands of locals refused to return home and remained in open grassy fields and parks overnight despite occasional rain.
Cebu province and other provinces are still recovering from a tropical storm that hit the central Philippines on Friday, killing at least 27 people.
Schools and government offices were closed today in cities hit by the earthquake while the safety of buildings was checked.
More than 600 aftershocks have been recorded since last night's major quake, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.
Officials have warned that rain-soaked mountains are more susceptible to landslides in a major earthquake.
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