An earthquake of magnitude 6.9 hit tonight off the coast of the central Philippines, killing at least five people, destroying roads and buildings and interrupting the electric current in some parts of the region, reported the local authorities. All five deaths were recorded in the municipality of San Remigio, in the north of the populous Isola Maggiore of Cebu, reported the local police. Four bodies were extracted from a sports center in San Remigio, while a child was crushed by debris in another area of the city, reported the Manila Abs-Cbn television network from the accident site.
The earthquake hit the sea off the city of Bogo, in Cebu, at 9:59 pm (15:59 Italian), damaging buildings and streets and triggering rescue operations throughout the North of the island, said the provincial official for rescue Wilson Ramos. The USGS had reported a magnitude of 7.0, before reducing it, while the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that there is no risk of tsunami due to the earthquake.