Magnitude 6.9 quake jolts Cebu

MANILA, Philippines — A powerful earthquake struck Cebu last night, sending residents rushing out of their homes, damaging heritage churches and prompting the evacuation of a hospital in Cebu City.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the magnitude 6.9 tectonic earthquake struck at 9:59 p.m., with its epicenter located east of Bogo City in Cebu and its depth at 10 kilometers. Phivolcs warned that aftershocks were expected.

Residents reported that the centuries-old Archdiocesan Shrine of Santa Rosa de Lima in Daanbantayan town partially collapsed. On Bantayan Island, residents posted videos showing another heritage church, the Parroquia de San Pedro Apostol Bantayan, swaying during the quake and parts of its façade falling apart.

Intensity 6 was recorded in Cebu City and Villaba, Leyte; Intensity 3 in San Fernando, Cebu and Intensity 2 in Laoang, Northern Samar, Phivolcs said.

It advised residents in Biliran, Cebu and Leyte to stay away from coastal areas, and for residents to move farther inland amid threats of a tsunami.

Patients and staff of the Cebu City Medical Center were evacuated outside the building, according to Mayor Nestor Archival. — The Freeman