Footage reposted by local media purportedly shows employees inside a Cebu City mall trying to crawl from the rubble and calling for help. Another video showed a bridge rattling so violently that parked motorcyclists struggled to stay on their bikes.
About 30 kilometres west of Bogo City, onlookers filmed the collapse of a 160-year-old church on Bantayan Island. Another historic church north of Bogo City also collapsed.
The Institute of Volcanology and Seismology also reported a minor eruption from the Taal volcano, a roughly two-hour drive south of Manila, though it is unclear if that was related to the earthquake.
A colleague of Dr Carpio, Lucille Latonio, lives near Cebu City, about 90 kilometres south of Bogo.
“The place started to shake, and items on shelves were falling down, and the electric post across the street from us snapped and was engulfed in flames,” she said.
Damage to the Shrine of Santa Rosa de Lima in Daanbantayan, Cebu.Credit: AP
“People were panicking and shouting. I was trying to reach my kids and family. It was difficult to reach them because some lines were cut off and electricity was down.
“Other families in smaller islands were afraid of a tsunami, so they were asking where to go in case there would be one.
“I’m glad to know all my colleagues are safe. But some of them are still trying to reach their families.”
Cebu, one of the Philippines’ most popular tourist destinations, is home to 3.4 million people. Despite the damage, Mactan-Cebu International Airport, the country’s second-busiest gateway, remained operational.
Another hard-hit town, San Remigio, was placed under a state of emergency to assist the response and relief efforts. Vice Mayor Alfie Reynes appealed for food and water for evacuees, as well as heavy equipment to aid search and rescue workers.
A damaged McDonald’s restaurant in Bogo City.Credit: AP
“It is raining heavily and there is no electricity, so we really need help, especially in the northern part because there’s a scarcity of water after supply lines were damaged by the earthquake,” Reynes told DZMM radio.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr assured survivors of swift help, saying cabinet secretaries were on the ground directing relief operations. He expressed his condolences to those who lost loved ones.
With Reuters
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