Citing the United States Geological Survey, Al Jazeera reported that the earthquake struck at 9:59pm local time on Tuesday (13:59 GMT) off Cebu Island’s northern tip near Bogo. The earthquake was followed by four earthquakes of magnitude 5 or higher in the area after the first tremor. Quoting Rafaelito Alejandro, deputy administrator of the Philippines Office of Civil Defence, Al Jazeera reported that he confirmed the new death toll on Wednesday, a steep increase on the 26 people reported killed earlier by the country’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. We are receiving reports (that) as high as 60 individuals are reported to have perished in this earthquake,” Alejandro told reporters in Manila. Baricuatro later said that an unspecified number of houses and a hospital were damaged due to the earthquake and that emergency medical teams were being deployed to treat residents who were injured, Al Jazeera reported.