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By Gabe Whisnant and John Feng
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A powerful offshore earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 struck the central Philippines late Tuesday, collapsing walls of houses and buildings, killing at least 20 people and injuring many others, officials said. The quake cut power across parts of Cebu province and sent residents fleeing into the streets in the dark.
“We were in our barracks to retire for the day when the ground started to shake and we rushed out but stumbled to the ground because of the intense shaking,” firefighter Rey Cañete told The Associated Press by telephone, adding that he and three other firemen sustained cuts and bruises.
Where was the epicenter of the Philippines earthquake?
The quake was centered about 10 miles northeast of Bogo, a coastal city of roughly 90,000 people, where at least 14 residents were killed, disaster-mitigation officer Rex Ygot told The Associated Press.
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Initially, a tsunami warning was issued and residents in Cebu and the nearby provinces of Leyte and Biliran to avoid coastlines because of possible waves up to 3 feet. Director Teresito Bacolcol said damage and aftershocks were expected. The tsunami warning was later lifted.
The quake struck relatively close to Tacloban, the city devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. The region is also a major tourist stop, with Bohol province known for its Chocolate Hills and white-sand beaches.
Authorities said they are assessing potential damage and aftershocks as reports continue to come in from across the Visayas region.
Earthquake Damage and Deaths: What We Know
Six people — including three coast guard personnel, a firefighter and a child — were killed in San Remigio town, south of Bogo, Vice Mayor Alfie Reynes told DZMM radio. He did not provide details on how the victims died.
Ygot said the death toll in Bogo was expected to rise as workers rushed heavy equipment to a mountain village where a landslide buried shanties and boulders blocked rescue efforts.
“It's hard to move in the area because there are hazards,” Glenn Ursal, another disaster-mitigation officer told The AP, adding some survivors were brought to a hospital.
Reynes appealed for food and water, saying the quake damaged San Remigio’s water system. He added that heavy equipment may be needed to clear debris and address damage in mountain villages.
Intense shaking damaged concrete walls of houses and a fire station, cut power in the city and left deep cracks in asphalt roads, firefighter Rey Cañete said.
A concrete wall at the city’s fire station collapsed, Cañete said. He and his colleagues treated at least three residents injured by falling debris and collapsed walls, including an elderly man with head injuries who was taken to a nearby hospital. He said more injuries were likely because of the strong shaking.
Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro said a number of houses and a hospital were damaged in Bogo and other areas. She said emergency medical teams were deployed to treat residents who were pinned or injured, but the full extent of the damage and casualties would not be clear until daylight.
“We’re sending already a trauma team there, doctors and nurses are on the way,” Baricuatro told the DZMM radio network. ”We need medicine, food, medical teams.”
Hundreds of frightened residents gathered in a grassy field near the fire station and refused to return home hours after the quake struck Bogo in Cebu province. Several businesses were damaged, roads were left with deep cracks, and an old Roman Catholic church in nearby Daanbantayan town was also damaged, Cañete said.
The quake came as central Philippine provinces were still recovering from a storm that struck Friday, killing at least 27 people, mostly from drowning and falling trees. The storm also knocked out power in several cities and towns and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.
What is the population of Cebu City, Philippines?
As of the 2020 census, Cebu City had a population of 964,169. Estimates for 2025 place the city’s population at roughly 1,061,620, reflecting ongoing urban growth.
The Philippines, one of the world’s most disaster-prone nations, lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a seismically active arc where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are common. The country is also battered by about 20 typhoons and storms each year.
The Philippines sits along the seismically active Philippine Sea Plate, which has produced some of the world’s deadliest quakes and tsunamis, including the 1976 Moro Gulf disaster that killed more than 5,000 people and the 1990 Luzon earthquake that left 2,400 dead.
Is there a tsunami threat?
Monitoring agencies said there is no tsunami threat at this time.
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Updates: 9/30/25, 12:55 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information.
Updates: 9/30/25, 2:12 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information.
Updates: 9/30/25, 2:38 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
Updates: 9/30/25, 4:26 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks. The headline was updated to indicate the earthquake's death toll.
Updates: 9/30/25, 7:11 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks. The headline was updated to indicate the earthquake's rising death toll.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press
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