BOGO, Philippines — Thousands of people in central Philippines spent Thursday, October 2, in evacuation centres or sleeping outdoors, fearing more aftershocks two days after a magnitude-6.9 earthquake killed at least 72 people and injured nearly 300.
READ: Death toll from Cebu quake rises to 72
Authorities said around 20,000 people remain displaced in Cebu and surrounding areas. Many residents of Bogo, the city closest to the epicenter, are reluctant to return home despite only moderate damage to some structures.
The quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers, less than 20 kilometers from Bogo, affecting nearly 171,000 people.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported that more than 3,000 aftershocks have been recorded, and 14 of them have been experienced by residents.
The Philippines, located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” experiences thousands of earthquakes annually, most of them moderate.
—With Rosette Adel; EFE via Reuters Connect