A 6.9 magnitude earthquake left at least 72 people dead and more than 360 people injured in the Philippines this week.
According to The Associated Press, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake rocked the Philippines at roughly 10 p.m. on Tuesday. The outlet noted that the earthquake was attributed to a shallow fault line in the sea that had been stable for at least four centuries, according to Filipino seismologists.
In addition to 72 individuals being killed and more than 360 individuals being injured, The Associated Press reported that more than 170,000 Filipino residents were affected by Tuesday’s earthquake. While disaster officials indicated that search and rescue operations have stopped and that there have not been any additional reports of missing individuals, The Associated Press noted that many of the earthquake survivors have refused to return home due to concerns of aftershocks and the trauma from the tragedy.
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Eighty-seven buildings and nearly 600 houses were damaged by the earthquake in the coastal city of Bogo, according to The Associated Press. In addition to the damage sustained by the city’s buildings, multiple roads and bridges were cracked and a seaport collapsed.
A video shared on X, formerly Twitter, by AccuWeather shows a bell tower from a historic church in the Philippines collapsing during Tuesday’s earthquake.
ABS-CBN, a local news outlet, reported that 795 aftershocks from the earthquake had been detected by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology as of Wednesday morning. The strongest of the aftershocks detected by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology was a 4.8 aftershock. ABS-CBN reported that Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology Director Dr. Teresito Bacolcol warned that additional tremors could be experienced in the coming days and weeks.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology issued a tsunami warning for the Biliran, Leyte, and Cebu provinces in the Philippines following Tuesday’s major earthquake. The institute warned that tsunami waves of up to three feet high could affect the country’s coastlines.
