The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported on Wednesday that at least 26 people were killed in the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Bogo City, Cebu on Tuesday night.
The agency also said 147 others were injured, though it stressed that reports are still being verified.
“Situation still being assessed. We’ve been receiving reports of casualties from different sources. However, we still need to validate those reports to provide a clearer picture,” OCD deputy spokesperson Diego Mariano said.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) recorded the quake at 9:59 p.m. on Tuesday. It was first reported as a magnitude 6.7 before being upgraded to 6.9. The tremor was tectonic in origin and had a depth of five kilometers.
Following the earthquake, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ordered government agencies to mobilize aid for affected communities.
The Department of Health (DOH) immediately assessed its personnel near the impact area, while the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Central Visayas intensified coordination with local governments.
According to the Presidential Communications Office, the DSWD has P379 million in standby funds and 2.4 million family food packs prepositioned nationwide for disaster response.
Meanwhile, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) placed the Visayas power grid under yellow alert from 1 p.m. to 12 midnight on Wednesday after several power plants went on forced outage due to the quake.
