The 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck the island of Bohol at 8:12 a.m., according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. A spokesman for the Office of Civil Defense said during a morning press briefing that the death toll from the quake was 20, with 15 dying in Cebu, four in Bohol and one on the neighboring island of Siquijor. The island of Cebu, which is adjacent to Bohol, where the earthquake was centered, experienced the most deaths and injuries because it is more heavily populated, officials said. Four of the deaths in Cebu occurred in the collapse of a fish market, officials told local radio stations. The quake damaged major buildings in Cebu City, a heavily populated commercial center in the central Philippines, Cebu’s governor, Hilario Davide III, told a local television station. The damaged structures included the iconic Santo Niño de Cebu church, which was founded in 1565, the governor said. A sprawling shopping mall, a major hospital and a busy public market also were damaged, he said. Officials on Tuesday morning were warning local residents to keep out of major buildings until their structural integrity could be verified. They also warned of landslides amid reports of aftershocks on the two most affected islands. Electric power was disrupted in many of the affected areas, and the main airport on the island of Bohol was temporarily closed. No tsunami warning was issued because the earthquake was land-based, an official of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said during a morning press briefing. A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck the same island on Feb. 8, 1990, and damaged more than 3,000 houses.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 04:21:24 +0000
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