At least 69 fatalities have been confirmed, with scores more injured; no tsunami was triggered by the magnitude 6.9 quake.

A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 has struck the Philippines, rattling parts of the Eastern Visayas region at around 10pm local time on Tuesday night, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Some reports have put the magnitude at 6.7.

The quake had a shallow epicentre, recorded at around 11 km, but authorities confirmed there was no tsunami threat. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center added that while the risk of large waves was ruled out, minor sea-level disturbances could occur.

Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, said in a telephone interview that at least 13 people were killed in the town of San Remigio when a sports complex collapsed during a basketball game. Among the dead were three members of the Philippine Coast Guard and a firefighter. Red Cross paramedics treated around 60 others for injuries across three provinces.

“Some churches partially collapsed, and some schools had to be evacuated,” Gordon said. Describing the late-night quake, he added, “This was a sleeper. It crept up on us.”

Footage circulating on social media showed the extent of the destruction. In Cebu province, a mall caught fire, a McDonald’s outlet was badly damaged, and in another clip, beauty pageant contestants fled the stage as the quake struck.

The Philippine Red Cross confirmed that schools in Cebu reported debris, cracks in buildings, and temporary power failures.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded a series of aftershocks near the epicentre and later cancelled a tsunami warning issued for Leyte, Biliran and Cebu provinces.

The new death toll confirmed on Wednesday is a sharp increase in the number of fatalities reported earlier by the country’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and is expected to rise further.

Rescuers have been working against the clock to find survivors. Army troops, police and civilian volunteers backed by backhoes and sniffer dogs were searching house-to-house for survivors.

“We’re still in the golden hour of our search and rescue,” Office of Civil Defense deputy administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said in a news briefing. “There are still many reports of people who were pinned or hit by debris.”

Local authorities have declared a “state of calamity” in parts of Cebu, according to local news outlets in the province.

The quake caused power outages and brought down buildings. Local television showed motorcycle riders being forced to dismount from their bikes and hold onto the railings as a Cebu bridge rocked violently.

Separately, Phivolcs also reported a minor eruption at Taal volcano, about 70 km (45 miles) south of central Manila. The eruption produced a 2,500-metre-high plume drifting northwest, but officials maintained the alert at Level 1.

Cebu Governor Pam Baricuatro urged residents to stay calm in a social media message, assuring them that the presidential office had confirmed immediate aid would be sent. “Know that the provincial government is doing its best. Help is coming,” she said.

The Medellin municipality in Cebu also announced on Facebook that schools and workplaces would remain closed until facilities and buildings could be inspected for safety.

Authorities have cautioned that aftershocks are expected in the days ahead, urging residents to remain alert. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) specifically warned communities in Leyte, Cebu, and Biliran to avoid beaches and coastal areas as a precaution.

According to USGS estimates, more than half a million people across the Visayan Islands – including Cebu, Biliran and Leyte – experienced very strong shaking. The agency warns such tremors can cause “considerable damage in poorly built or badly designed structures” and “slight to moderate damage in well-built ordinary structures.”

The country has faced deadly quakes before. In 2022, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck northern Luzon, killing at least five and injuring more than 100. Three years earlier, a 6.1-magnitude quake in Luzon claimed at least 11 lives.

The Philippines sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” – a vast zone of volcanic and seismic activity. While most tremors that strike the country are too weak to be felt, powerful and destructive quakes occur without warning, with no reliable way of predicting when or where they will hit.

This is a developing story; updates will follow.