Dhaka, Oct. 2 -- At least 69 people have been confirmed killed and almost 150 injured after a powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the coast of the central Philippine island province of Cebu, according to officials.
The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at 9:59pm local time on Tuesday (13:59 GMT) off Cebu Island's northern tip near Bogo, a city of some 90,000 residents, and was followed by four earthquakes of magnitude 5 or higher in the area after the first tremor.
The new death toll confirmed on Wednesday is a sharp increase on the 26 people reported killed earlier by the country's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and is expected to rise further.
Rescuers scrambled to find survivo...