THE death toll has reached at least 60 as of 11 am today, October 1, after a powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Bogo City and other areas in Cebu province late Tuesday night.
The quake, which hit at 9:59 pm September 30, caused widespread damage to buildings and roads, mostly in the northern part of the island.
The high casualty count was reported by radio station dyHP Cebu as rescue and retrieval operations continued in affected areas.
The earthquake, with its epicenter near Bogo City, heavily damaged numerous structures. One of the significant losses is the Archdiocesan Shrine of Santa Rosa de Lima in Daanbantayan, which was partially destroyed.
Several other buildings, including a commercial food chain and a government building in Bogo, sustained partial damage.
Damage to the road networks has also left many routes impassable, hampering initial relief and rescue efforts.
The Central Visayas region is prone to seismic activity as the Philippines sits along the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire,’ a vast area where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.
Relief operations are underway, focusing on the hardest-hit towns in northern Cebu. Authorities are still assessing the full extent of the damage across the province.
