Even as the death toll from a powerful earthquake rose to 72 in the central Philippines, rescue efforts began winding down with a storm approaching the Southeast Asian archipelago. Tropical Storm Paolo, which formed early Thursday, is expected to make landfall in the coming days.
The 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck on Tuesday night, with its epicenter located roughly 12 miles northeast of Bogo City in Cebu Province. The tremor, which occurred at a depth of just three miles, caused the collapse of homes, bridges and public buildings across northern Cebu, triggering landslides and widespread power outages, The Associated Press reports.
By Thursday, authorities confirmed 72 people dead and up to 200 injured. The Philippine National Police announced that all missing persons had been accounted for.
Civil defense officials warned on Wednesday morning that many residents were feared trapped beneath rubble during what they described as the critical “golden hour” of rescue. Efforts were hampered by rain, blocked roads and ongoing aftershocks, which numbered more than 2,400 by Thursday, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based NGO Data Friendly Space.
The earthquake was the most powerful ever recorded in Cebu and the most lethal nationwide since at least 2013. More than 20,000 people were confirmed displaced, with thousands more sleeping in open spaces due to fear of aftershocks.
One of the highest death tolls came from the coastal city of Bogo, where about half the confirmed fatalities were reported.
The town of San Remigio also saw casualties after a portion of its sports complex collapsed during a basketball game, killing at least five people, including a child and members of the coast guard and fire department.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology briefly issued a tsunami warning after the quake, but it was withdrawn within hours. No waves were reported.
At least 22 buildings sustained major damage, including schools, a commercial structure in Bantayan and a heritage church. One school completely collapsed, forcing the suspension of classes in 46 municipalities.
Blackouts were reported in parts of Cebu, Leyte and Biliran due to grid disruptions. Three bridges, including the Mandaue–Mactan Bridge, remained impassable as of Thursday. Six municipalities experienced Intensity VII shaking, classified as destructive.
In one Bogo neighborhood, officials reported 10 deaths in a cluster of houses originally built for survivors of a 2013 super typhoon. The earthquake also caused structural damage to bridges and created large fissures.
Rescue teams used backhoes, sniffer dogs and even bare hands to search through piles of broken concrete, twisted metal and splintered wood.
The earthquake was followed by a minor phreatomagmatic eruption at the Taal Volcano in Batangas at 2:02 a.m. Wednesday, about four hours after the quake. PHIVOLCS clarified that the two events were not connected and that the eruption at Taal did not pose a wider threat.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Paolo intensified early Thursday with maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour and gusts reaching 70 miles per hour, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.
Originally a tropical depression, Paolo is now moving westward at 18 miles per hour and was last recorded about 200 miles east of Baler, Aurora.
PAGASA warned that Paolo could become a typhoon by Friday morning as it crosses northern Luzon, potentially making landfall in Isabela or Aurora. Isabela borders the Philippine Sea and is one of the country’s largest agricultural provinces. Aurora is directly east of Isabela, along the eastern seaboard of Luzon, facing the Philippine Sea.
A typhoon may form after the storm moves over the West Philippine Sea. Officials said a southward shift in Paolo’s trajectory was still possible, depending on the strength of a high-pressure area above the region.
Paolo carries the international name Matmo, derived from the Chamorro language of Guam, meaning “heavy rain.” Its impact could intensify as it approaches densely populated regions, many of which are still reeling from the combined effects of the earthquake and a prior tropical storm that struck central Philippines on Sept. 26, killing at least 27 people and causing mass evacuations.
