At least 32 dead as powerful earthquake hits Philippines
Manila - A magnitude-7.2 earthquake struck the central Philippines Tuesday, killing at least 32 people and causing roads to crack and buildings to collapse, the national disaster risk management agency said.
The tremor occurred 2 kilometres south-east of Carmen town in Bohol province, 640 kilometres south of Manila, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
Thirty-three people were reported to have been injured in the tremor. It was felt in the nearby provinces of Cebu, Negros, Masbate, Leyte and Iloilo, and as far as the southern region of Mindanao, the institute said.
The first victims were reported from a building collapse in Cebu City, about 60 kilometres north of the epicentre, said Minda Morante, a regional civil defence director.
"It was violent," said Brigitte Lux, a 63-year-old German residing in the resort island of Panglao in Bohol province. "We were totally shocked." In Cebu City, Lynlyn Empleo, a 26-year-old mother of one, said she felt her house swaying and shaking for three minutes.
"It was very scary," she said. "Our things crashed to the floor and we thought it would not end." People rushed out of their homes and offices as buildings shook,while electricity was cut off in many areas hit by the earthquake.
An apartment terrace fell on a van in Talisay City in Cebu, trapping four people, Mayor Johnny De Los Reyes said. Two people have been rescued, but two were still being extracted, he added.
In Bohol, the roof of a hotel's function hall crashed and buried at least one employee.
"I don't think she's still alive," said Stephen Con, a front desk officer at the Bohol Tropics Resort in Tagbilaran City, where fewer than 100 guests were staying.
Several domestic flights were cancelled as officials checked the status of some airports in the affected areas.
Initial reports said the airports in Cebu City and Tagbilaran City in Bohol had suffered cracks and some structures had collapsed, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said.
Abaya said "heavy damage" was also reported to the seaport in Tagbilaran, but he said the reports were still sketchy and being verified by officials.
