Double Tragedy: Powerful Earthquake Kills 31 in Storm-Battered Philippine Province

MANILA – A powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the central Philippines late Tuesday, killing at least 31 people in a region still reeling from a deadly storm just days earlier. The shallow quake caused buildings to collapse, triggered a landslide, and knocked out power, leaving many residents in darkness.

The earthquake’s center was located about 19 kilometers northeast of Bogo, a coastal city in Cebu province. According to disaster officials, Bogo was the hardest-hit area, with at least 14 deaths reported. Rescue efforts are underway, but challenges remain, especially in a mountain village where a landslide buried several homes.

“It’s hard to move in the area because there are hazards,” said disaster-mitigation officer Glenn Ursal.

In the nearby town of Medellin, 12 people died when their homes collapsed, some while they were sleeping. In another town, San Remigio, five people were killed by falling walls as they tried to escape a basketball game that was interrupted by the intense shaking. The town’s vice mayor, Alfie Reynes, has made an urgent appeal for food and water, as the local water system was damaged.

First-hand accounts describe a scene of chaos and terror. “We were in our barracks to retire for the day when the ground started to shake,” firefighter Rey Cañete said. “We rushed out but stumbled to the ground because of the intense shaking.” He and his colleagues sustained minor injuries as a concrete wall at their fire station collapsed.

After the quake, hundreds of terrified residents gathered in open fields, afraid to return to their damaged homes. Roads were left with deep cracks, and an old church in the town of Daanbantayan also sustained damage.

Officials are still assessing the full extent of the disaster. “It could be worse than we think,” Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro said in a statement.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology briefly issued a tsunami warning for the coastlines of Cebu and nearby provinces but lifted it after monitoring showed no unusual waves.

This earthquake comes as a second blow to the region, which was hit by a severe storm last Friday that left 27 people dead. The Philippines is located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an area known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.