A strong earthquake struck the central Philippines Tuesday, triggering โฃa brief โฃtsunami warning andโ causing damage toโฃ buildings and roads in Cebu province. Hundreds of residents evacuated to open spaces, fearing aftershocks and potential waves.The quake, centeredโ near Bogo City in Cebu, prompted authorities to โฃdeploy medical teamsโ and โassess the โextent of the โขdamage. While the โคtsunami warning was laterโค lifted, the earthquake adds to โคtheโ challenges โฃfacing theโค region, which is still recovering fromโ a recent tropical storm that left โฃat least 27 people dead.According to Cebu Gov. Pamelaโข Baricuatro,anโฃ unspecified number of housesโข andโข a hospital in Bogoโ City and surrounding areas sustained damage.โค “We’re sending already aโ trauma team there, doctors and nurses are on the way,” Baricuatroโค told DZMM radio. “We need medicine, food, โmedical teams.”
Initial reports indicate โvisible damageโ to business โestablishments, with โคdeep cracks appearing inโฃ roads. An old Roman Catholic church inโ Daanbantayan town, near Bogo,โ was also damaged. Residents โgathered inโฃ a grassy field near the Bogo fire station and remained there for โขhours after the quake.
Theโค Philippine Institute of โVolcanology and Seismology initially issued a tsunami warning for Cebu,leyte,and biliran provinces,anticipating wavesโ upโ to 1 meter (3 feet) high. Instituteโ Director teresito โคBacolcol later confirmed no unusual waves whereโ monitored, and the โwarning was lifted.
The earthquake struck as central Philippine provinces were beginning to recover from tropical Storm Bualoi, which impacted the region Friday,โค causing widespread โpower outages โขand evacuations.
The Philippines is located โon โขthe Pacific “Ring of Fire,” makingโ it highly susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and typhoons. Theโข archipelago experiences approximately 20 typhoons and storms annually.