Manila: A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.9 struck the central Philippine province on late Tuesday night, according to the US Geological Survey. The earthquake disrupted the Miss Asia Pacific International Gala Night event in Cebu.
A video of the incident also surfaced online. The video shows the quake rattling the beauty pageant. In the viral visuals, it could be seen that chaos erupted during the event after the earthquake hit the Philippines. After the tremors, panic gripped the models. All the people present at the event are reportedly safe.
Video Of The Incident:
According to reports, at least 31 people were killed, and several were injured after the massive earthquake hit the central Philippines. The epicentre of the earthquake was about 19 kilometres northeast of Bogo, a coastal city of about 90,000 people in Cebu province.
The quake reportedly struck at a depth of five kilometres. Out of the total casualties, 14 were killed in Cebu. At least 12 residents died as they were buried under the debris of their collapsed houses, reported The Associated Press.
In San Remigio town, five people, including three coast guard personnel, a firefighter, and a child, were reportedly killed in a separate wall collapse incident.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology briefly issued a tsunami warning. In the wake of the tsunami warning, the authorities advised people to stay away from the coastlines in Cebu and in the nearby provinces of Leyte and Biliran due to possible waves of up to 1 meter (3 feet).
Notably, the Philippines is located on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of seismic faults around the ocean. The country is often hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location.
