At least 20 people dead after powerful Philippines quake, NYT reports

Medical workers bring a resident outside after a strong earthquake struck Cebu City, central Philippines, Tuesday, Sept. 30. AP-Yonhap

At least 20 people were killed and over three dozen were injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake in the Philippines, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing a government official.

The earthquake that struck off the coast of Cebu City just before 10 p.m. (local time) on Tuesday led to power outages and damaged buildings in the region.

At least 20 people had been confirmed dead and at least 37 were injured, a spokesperson for Cebu told the newspaper.

Four buildings collapsed, three government buildings were damaged and six bridges and one road were not accessible, the report said.

Earthquake monitoring agencies had pegged the depth of the quake at around 10 km (6.2 miles) and recorded multiple aftershocks, the strongest a magnitude of 6. Another monitoring agency said there was no tsunami threat following the quake.

Cebu City in the Philippines' central Visayas region has a population of nearly 1 million, according to the USGS.

Police Colonel Enrico Figueroa, chief of the Cebu City police, said some pole-mounted transformers exploded during the earthquake.

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 Philippines lies in the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common. It saw two major earthquakes in January with no casualties reported. In 2023, a 6.7 magnitude offshore earthquake killed eight people.