At least five people have died after an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 on the Richter scale shook the central Philippines. This was reported by local police, quoted by AFP and NOVA.
The epicenter of the quake was about 11 kilometers east-southeast of the city of Calape in Bohol province, with a population of about 33 thousand people. According to the US Geological Survey, the quake was at a depth of 11 kilometers, and the service had to correct its initial measurements of 7.0 on the Richter scale.
The earthquake was registered in the sea off the city of Bogo in Cebu at 9:59 p.m., provincial rescue official Wilson Ramos said. The quake caused extensive damage to buildings and roads and prompted rescue operations in the northern part of the island.
All five deaths were reported in the municipality of San Remigio, in the northern part of the densely populated island of Cebu. Four bodies were pulled from a sports center in San Remigio, while a child was buried under debris in another part of the city, Manila-based ABS-CBN television network reported.
“There may be people buried under collapsed buildings,” Ramos said. He said rescue operations were underway in the towns of San Remigio and Bogo, a city of 90,000. He said he had no information on the number of missing. Rescue operations were hampered by darkness and aftershocks, he added.
The U.S. Geological Survey has recorded four earthquakes measuring 5.0 or higher in the area since the first quake.
The local seismological service warned of possible minor sea disturbance and urged residents of the central islands of Leyte, Cebu and Biliran to avoid staying near beaches.