At least 69 people have died after a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit the central Philippines, authorities said. 

The quake struck Cebu province at around 10:00 p.m. local time (14:00 GMT) on Tuesday, prompting officials to declare a state of calamity.

“Bang! It was as if the Earth stopped spinning,” one resident described the moment of the quake. Images and videos from Cebu show collapsed buildings, cracked roads and bridges, and people clutching each other as the tremors began.

Rescue teams are searching through rubble for survivors while authorities rush to restore electricity, communications, and deliver emergency aid.

The Philippines lies on the geologically unstable “Ring of Fire,” making it highly susceptible to natural disasters, correspondent Jonathan Head reports. 

The earthquake comes just a week after back-to-back typhoons killed more than a dozen people, and an unusually heavy monsoon season caused widespread flooding, increasing public frustration over disaster preparedness.

Source: BBC

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