Philippines Earthquake: A 6.9-Magnitude Tremor Struck the Central Country

Liputan6.com, Jakarta A 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck the central Philippines on Tuesday evening, September 30, 2025, at 9:59:43 PM Philippine Standard Time (PST).

This devastating event was centered off the coast of Cebu Province, approximately 19 kilometers northeast of Bogo, and caused significant impacts throughout the Visayas region.

The shallow quake struck at 9:59 p.m. Tuesday off the island's north coast near Bogo, a town of 90,000 people, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

At a very shallow depth of only 5 kilometers, the earthquake was felt strongly and destructively, reaching a maximum intensity of VII (Destructive) in several towns such as Bogo and San Remigio.

❗️🇵🇭 - A 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the central Philippines coast, damaging buildings and roads, causing power outages, and prompting rescue efforts to locate victims. The quake hit at 9:59 PM local time (1:59 PM GMT) off northern Cebu, collapsing a public building and… pic.twitter.com/fhk5A6duYL

— 🔥🗞The Informant (@theinformant_x) September 30, 2025

Initial reports on October 1, 2025, stated at least 26 deaths and 147 injuries, but this figure was later revised to 60 to 69.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRB), the Philippines' main disaster management agency, stated that 53 people have been confirmed dead and at least 150 injured.

At least 22 infrastructure items were damaged, and three bridges and one road were impassable, according to the agency.

Most of the fatalities were found in Bogo, Medellin, and San Remigio, indicating the severity of the impact in those areas.

Several tragic incidents affected residents, such as in San Remigio, where five people, including coast guard personnel and firefighters, were killed by a collapsed wall while fleeing.

In Medellin, 12 people lost their lives after being struck by falling ceilings and walls of their homes.

Hospitals in Bogo were overwhelmed by the number of injured patients.

At least 22 buildings were damaged or collapsed, with four of them completely destroyed.

Dramatic footage filmed by residents and widely shared on social media shows an old Catholic church on Bantayan Island near Cebu decorated with strings of lights swaying wildly moments before its bell tower fell into the courtyard.

Many homes and buildings in the province sustained extensive damage, including historic churches such as the Grand Shrine of Santa Rosa de Lima and the Parish Church of St. Peter the Apostle, which partially collapsed.

Following the mainshock, PHIVOLCS issued a tsunami warning, advising coastal communities in Cebu, Leyte, and Biliran to stay away from the coast.

However, the warning was later lifted after no significant changes in sea levels were detected, as reported by Channel News Asia.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said "there is no tsunami threat from this earthquake" and "no action is required".

Nevertheless, seismic activity in the region remains very high, with a series of aftershocks.

PHIVOLCS recorded a total of 611 aftershocks following the mainshock, with 379 occurring as of 4:00 a.m. on October 1, 2025.

The strength of these aftershocks varied between magnitudes 1.4 and 4.8.PHIVOLCS warned that aftershocks could continue for weeks, causing further concern for the public and hampering ongoing rescue efforts.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. immediately ordered various government agencies to mobilize emergency relief and provide support to affected communities.

The Cebu provincial government has issued an appeal on its official Facebook page for medical volunteers to help in the aftermath of the earthquake.

"There could be people trapped beneath collapsed buildings," provincial rescue official Wilson Ramos told AFP, citing rescue efforts underway in San Remigio and Bogo.

Cebu firefighter Joey Leeguid told AFP from San Fernando town: "We felt the shake here in our station, it was so strong. We saw our locker moving from left to right, we felt slightly dizzy for a while but we are all fine now."

Philippines is located on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a zone of intense seismic activity that causes earthquakes almost daily.

The country is also frequently hit by around 20 typhoons and storms each year, increasing its vulnerability to natural disasters.

This earthquake happened just days after a typhoon struck the central region, killing at least 27 people.

PHIVOLCS clarified that the Cebu earthquake is not related to the recent activity of Taal Volcano.