Cebu, one of the Philippines’ most popular tourist destinations, is home to 3.4 million people. Vice Mayor Alfie Reynes appealed for food and water for evacuees, as well as heavy equipment to aid search and rescue workers. In the nearby town of Pilar, resident Archel Coraza said most of his family were asleep when their house began to shake violently. Earthquake monitoring agencies put the quake’s depth at around 10 km (6.2 miles) and recorded multiple aftershocks, the strongest having a magnitude of 6. The Philippines lies in the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common.