The Church of San Pedro in Loboc, Philippines, after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the region on October 15, 2013. (ROBERT MICHAEL POOLE / AFP Getty)
PanARMENIAN.Net – The death toll from a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck the central Philippines rose to 85, police said Tuesday, as more reports trickled in about toppled buildings and historic churches near the epicenter, according to the Associated Press.
People walk past the damaged Church of San Pedro in the Philippine town of Loboc, Bohol. (ROBERT MICHAEL POOLE)
Bohol police chief Dennis Agustin said that 69 of the deaths came from the province, where the quake hit near the town of Carmen. At least 16 others died in nearby Cebu province and another on Siquijor Island.
Damaged: A road is ripped apart in the town of Loboc, Bohol province, following the earthquake
The quake struck at 8:12 a.m. and was centered about 33 kilometers (20 miles) below Carmen on Bohol Island, where many buildings collapsed, roads cracked up and bridges fell.
Extensive damage also hit densely populated Cebu city, across a narrow strait from Bohol, causing deaths when a building in the port and the roof of a market area collapsed.
Earthquake: Workers use a crane to lift up a concrete block that fell on a car after buildings collapsed during an earthquake in Cebu city.
At least 20 people in the Philippines have died in the earthquakeThe quake set off two stampedes in nearby cities. When it struck, people gathered in a gym in Cebu rushed outside in a panic, crushing five people to death and injuring eight others, said Neil Sanchez, provincial disaster management officer.
But the quake was centered inland and did not cause a tsunami.
Damage: The 7.2 earthquake was centred about 35 miles below Carmen town on Bohol Island. Pictured is a collapsed building in Cebu city
Offices and schools were closed for a national holiday — the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha — which may have saved lives.
The earthquake also was deeper below the surface than the 6.9-magnitude temblor last year in waters near Negros Island, also in the central Philippines, that killed nearly 100 people.
Devastating: Residents inspect a car after a concrete block fell on it during an earthquake in Cebu city
Stricken: Damaged cars lie under a rubble outside the GMC Plaza Building in Cebu following the devastating quake
Tragedy: Five people were killed when a fishing port collapsed in Cebu city. A resident is pictured inspecting a collapsed building in the city
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