A powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the central Philippines late Tuesday, causing significant destruction, scores of casualties, and widespread panic as buildings collapsed and power was cut in several areas.

The death toll has climbed to at least 69, with more than 150 others injured as homes, churches, and public infrastructure suffered severe damage.

The epicenter was located about 19 kilometers northeast of Bogo, a coastal city in Cebu province, at a shallow depth of only 5 kilometers beneath the surface. The Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology initially issued a tsunami alert but lifted it after confirming no abnormal waves were generated.

Some townships, including Medellin and San Remigio, reported families trapped and buildings, including sports centers and water systems, completely destroyed. The earthquake hit as the region was already reeling from a deadly storm days earlier, compounding the humanitarian crisis.

WHY THE PHILIPPINES SHOOK

The reason for frequent and sometimes devastating earthquakes in the Philippines lies beneath its surface: the country sits atop one of the most seismically active regions on Earth, known as the Pacific “Ring of Fire”.

This belt is characterised by intense tectonic activity due to the movement and collision of several major and minor plates.

Beneath the central Philippines, two main tectonic factors are at work: the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate.

To the east of the archipelago, the Philippine Sea Plate is subducting (sliding beneath) the Philippine Microplate along the Philippine Trench. Meanwhile, to the west, the Eurasian (Sunda) Plate is moving beneath the Philippine islands along the Manila and Negros Trenches.

This unique configuration creates a zone of “double subduction,” with frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. The fault responsible for Tuesday’s tremor is a shallow local fault, but its movement is directly triggered by the stress accumulation from these converging plates.

This dynamic tectonic interplay generates enormous stress that is released in the form of earthquakes, making the Philippines one of the world’s most earthquake-prone nations.

Earthquakes like the recent one in Cebu are a show of the powerful geological forces constantly shaping the archipelago.

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