Cebu City earthquake: At least five killed following a powerful 6.9 magnitude quake in the Philippines

At least five people have died following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake in the Philippines, ABS-CBN, the country’s largest broadcaster, reports, citing the police.

The earthquake that struck off the coast of Cebu City late on Tuesday led to power outages and damaged buildings in the region, sending residents scrambling out of their homes, officials said.

The US Geological Survey pegged the depth of the quake at 10km and recorded multiple aftershocks in the region following the earthquake, with the strongest aftershock a magnitude of 6.

Another monitoring agency said there was no tsunami threat following the quake.

Cebu City, located in the Philippines’ central Visayas region, has a population of nearly one million, according to the USGS.

Earlier on Tuesday, Ian Po, police chief of Villaba in the central province of Leyte, said the quake lasted for about 10 seconds.

The police station building was visibly shaking from the tremor, he said.

Police Colonel Enrico Figueroa, chief of the Cebu City police, said some pole-mounted transformers exploded during the earthquake.

In Bogo, the quake damaged concrete walls of houses, a fire station and concrete and asphalt roads, firefighter Rey Caete said.

Several business establishments visibly sustained damages and the asphalt and concrete roads where they passed had deep cracks, Caete said, adding that an old Roman Catholic church in Daanbantayan town near Bogo was also damaged.

Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro said an unspecified number of houses and a hospital were damaged in Bogo and elsewhere and that emergency medical teams were being deployed to treat residents who were pinned and injured.

The extent of the damage and injuries would not be known until daytime, she said.

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

The AFP news agency also reported that the earthquake had damaged buildings and roads and knocked out power in parts of the region, with rescuers searching for possible casualties.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

Philippine seismology agency Phivolcs had warned of aftershocks and damage from the offshore tremor.

It also warned that “strong currents and rapid changes of seawater level are expected”.

“The concerned public is advised to be on alert for unusual waves,” it said in an advisory.

Philippine lies in the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common.

with AP