(Reuters) -At least 22 people have been killed following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake in the Philippines, a government official said, marking one of the country’s most devastating disasters this year.
The earthquake that struck off the coast of Cebu City in the Philippines’ central Visayas region just before 10 p.m. (1400 GMT) on Tuesday led to power outages and damaged buildings in the region.
Alfie Reynes, vice mayor of the town of San Remigio, confirmed the death toll of 22 in an interview with DZMM radio.
Another government official told Reuters by phone that at least 21 people have been reported dead in Cebu province, adding that verification is underway on the reported fatalities.
The New York Times earlier reported that at least 37 people have been injured due to the quake, along with the collapse of a few buildings and infrastructure including bridges.
Earthquake monitoring agencies had pegged the depth of the quake at around 10 km (6.2 miles) and recorded multiple aftershocks, the strongest having a magnitude of 6. Another monitoring agency said there was no tsunami threat following the quake.
Cebu City has a population of nearly 1 million, according to the USGS.
Philippine seismology agency Phivolcs 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. The warning was canceled three hours later.
The Philippines lies in the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common. The country had two major earthquakes in January with no casualties reported. In 2023, a 6.7 magnitude offshore earthquake killed eight people.
(Reporting by Gursimran Kaur, Mikhail Flores and Karen Lema, additional reporting by Surbhi Misra; Editing by Alistair Bell, Stephen Coates and Richard Chang)
