A powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit the central Philippines on Wednesday, leaving at least 69 people dead and more than 150 injured, officials said. The death toll is expected to rise as rescuers continue to search through collapsed buildings and landslide-hit areas.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the quake’s epicentre was about 17 kilometres (10 miles) northeast of Bogo, a coastal city of around 90,000 people in Cebu province, a popular tourist destination. Triggered by a local fault line, the earthquake caused severe structural damage across several towns and villages.

Bogo was among the hardest-hit areas, reporting at least 14 deaths. A landslide in a nearby mountain village buried several shanties, making rescue operations extremely challenging. The local hospital struggled to cope with the sudden influx of injured patients. Authorities are bringing in heavy machinery, including backhoes, to help search for people trapped under debris.

In the nearby town of San Remigio, six people were confirmed dead, including three coast guard personnel, a firefighter, and a child. Vice Mayor Alfie Reynes urged immediate delivery of relief supplies, noting that the town’s water system had been damaged and residents urgently needed food and clean water.

Witnesses described intense shaking that caused walls, homes, and roads to crack and collapse. Firefighter Rey Caete said the tremors caught him and his colleagues off guard while at the fire station, causing the building walls to collapse and injuring several people. Many residents were too frightened to return to their homes and stayed overnight in open fields for safety.

The earthquake also damaged businesses, roads, and historical structures, including a Roman Catholic church in nearby Daanbantayan. Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro said the full extent of the damage was still being assessed, warning that the situation could be worse than initially estimated.

A tsunami warning was briefly issued for the coastal areas of Cebu, Leyte, and Biliran, but it was later lifted as no unusual waves were detected. The quake caused flooding, uprooted trees, and widespread power outages, forcing tens of thousands of residents into evacuation centres.

The Philippines lies in the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and frequently experiences earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and around 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.