The 6.9-magnitude earthquake that shook Central Visayas for about 30 seconds left a trail of destruction – highways split by deep cracks, churches reduced to rubble, a mall set ablaze, and many buildings collapsing.
At least 26 people have already died due to the powerful quake, with 147 others injured, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
Its early assessment on Wednesday, October 1, showed at least 22 buildings damaged by the quake, with one road and three bridges rendered impassable. Overall, six roads and bridges in Cebu were affected:
Tabogon
Salag Hanging Bridge – not passable to all types of vehicles
Tuburan
Langoyon Bridge – not passable to all types of vehicles
Fortaliza Bridge – not passable to all types of vehicles
Brgy. Putat Bridge – passable to light vehicles
Brgy. Bagasawe Bridge – passable to light vehicles
Daanbantayan
Brgy. Poblacion Road – not passable to all types of vehicles
A dashcam video also captured the Mactan-Mandaue Bridge shaking in Cebu.
The devastation reached heritage, infrastructure and commercial spaces. The Archdiocesan Shrine of Santa Rosa de Lima in Daanbantayan, considered a cultural treasure, was toppled by the quake.
San Remigio saw damage to the Lambusan and Looc bridges and a government sports facility.
In Cebu City, fast-food chains were not spared. A McDonald’s and Jollibee branch were left in ruins, while another McDonald’s in Bogo collapsed. Housing facilities such as SM Cares Housing and Condor Lodge in Bogo also crumbled.
Communication lines were also cut in three parts of Region 7, while eight areas reported power outages. Affected localities include Daanbantayan, Bogo, San Remigio, Tabuelan, Carmen, Asturias, Catmon and Tuburan.
A total of 46 cities and municipalities declared class suspensions to focus on recovery efforts, with the Cebu provincial government declaring a state of calamity.
The earthquake also triggered a landslide in Tabuelan, Cebu, along a national highway. And around the same time the earthquake jolted Cebu, a fire broke out at SM Consolacion. It was quickly extinguished shortly after the quake.
In Asturias, Cebu, an old concrete wall at a private residence along Lapu-Lapu Street had also collapsed.
The NDRRMC has yet to assess the cost of the damage, but its regional office in Central Visayas has already raised a red alert, with Bureau of Fire Protection teams placed on standby.
Under red alert status, response agencies are placed on complete staffing, with urgent interagency coordination required to address the emergency.
The earthquake
The 6.9-magnitude earthquake was strong enough to cause widespread destruction. It struck 19 kilometers north of Bogo, Cebu, at a depth of 5 kilometers around 9:59 p.m. on September 30. The tremor was tectonic in origin and produced a total of 611 aftershocks as of 7 a.m.
Destructive shaking, Intensity VII, was reported in Cebu and Negros Occidental, as well as in parts of Eastern Visayas. This level of intensity is significantly felt by most people, driving many outdoors, as buildings are rocked by strong movement and hanging objects swing violently. Infrastructure damage, landslides and rockfalls are expected.
Weak to strong shaking was reported across several provinces, including Negros Occidental, Bohol, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Samar, Zamboanga del Norte, Albay, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, Antique and Capiz.
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has called on LGUs to activate their emergency operations centers and incident management teams, urging chief executives to lead damage assessments and activate contingency plans.