Philippines Quake Death Toll Rises to 72 as Cebu Shifts to Relief Efforts

Overview

• Rescuers reported 72 dead, 294 injured and roughly 20,000 displaced, with at least 600 homes damaged in northern Cebu as of Thursday.
• Bogo, near the offshore epicenter, was the hardest hit; bodies were recovered from a collapsed hotel and a firefighter said reported missing there had been accounted for by Wednesday night.
• Seismic agencies located the shallow M6.9 quake offshore near Calape in Bohol at about 10–11 km depth, recorded strong aftershocks up to magnitude 6.0 and indicated no tsunami threat.
• Hospitals in Bogo were overwhelmed as the coast guard deployed medical teams, the governor appealed for water, food, clothing and shelter supplies, and the Mactan–Cebu airport remained operational.
• Local calamity declarations accelerated aid in Cebu and San Remigio, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited the province to coordinate assistance, and the response follows heavy impacts from Typhoon Bualoi days earlier.