Photo taken on Sept. 30, 2025 shows a church damaged in the earthquake in Cebu province, the Philippines. An offshore earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 struck Cebu province in the central Philippines on Tuesday evening, causing damage to a century-old church and prompting people to flee into the streets, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). (Str/Xinhua)

At least 26 people were killed and 147 others were injured as an offshore 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit Cebu province in the central Philippines on Tuesday night, the Philippines' National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported on Wednesday.

The death toll is expected to climb as more reports trickle in.

The report said that the quake has damaged road and bridges.

Local newspaper SunStar Cebu reported that victims of the quake continued to arrive at Cebu Provincial Hospital in Bogo City, straining the medical staff.

The newspaper posted photos of family members in Bogo City weeping as they watch the remains of their loved ones wrapped in black body bags.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology initially reported that a 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck Cebu province at 9:59 p.m. local time on Tuesday. The institute later revised the magnitude to 6.9, adding that the quake struck at a depth of 5 km, approximately 19 km northeast of Bogo City.

The tremor was also felt in many neighboring provinces in the central Philippines, as well as some regions in the south of the country.

The Philippines sits along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a region prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity.