A powerful earthquake has struck the Philippines.
The 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit near the eastern Visayas region in the Philippines on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey mentioned.
People were urged to stay away from the beach and move further inland amid fears of aftershocks. The quake sent people dashing out into the streets, destroyed a whole stone church, and even knocked out power in certain areas.
There was no tsunami threat after this earthquake, which had a shallow epicenter of around 11 km as per the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
Local officials said no immediate reports of casualties or major damage were received at this moment in time but inspections are underway across Cebu and neighboring provinces.
Very strong shaking from the earthquake might bring serious damage to poorly built or badly designed structures, experts shared. Dramatic footage showed an entire tower of a church collapsing to the ground on Bantayan Island as onlookers wailed in fear. Earthquakes do occur frequently but most are too weak to be felt by humans. But strong and destructive ones come in random with no tech present when and where they might strike.