Cebu quake sparks panic in Leyte, cuts power in Biliran

Call center employees gather outside their office building after a 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck Cebu on September 30, 2025. (AFP)

TACLOBAN CITY – A 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck off Bogo City, Cebu, late Tuesday night was felt across Eastern Visayas, sending thousands of residents into the streets and causing structural damage in several provinces.

The quake, which occurred at 9:59 p.m., lasted several seconds and triggered panic among residents in Tacloban City and surrounding areas.

“I thought I was just dreaming,” recalled Sharon Gatmaitan, a Tacloban resident who was visibly shaken after the tremor.

READ: 6.9-magnitude quake kills child, damages heritage churches in Cebu

In Naval, Biliran, power was cut after the Biliran Electric Cooperative shut down its substation as a precaution. The cooperative said electricity will be restored once facilities are declared safe and stable.

The quake also disrupted a basketball game at the Naval gym, where hundreds of spectators rushed outside in panic. Mayor Gretchen Espina confirmed that a portion of the gym’s ceiling was damaged. The local engineering office has been tasked with assessing the facility’s structural integrity.

In Leyte town, a landslide occurred in Sitio Tabengue, Barangay Wague, rendering the area impassable. The municipal disaster risk reduction and management office also reported cracks in a bridge in Barangay Consuegra, raising safety concerns.

In Ormoc City, Leyte, patients at Ormoc Doctors Hospital were evacuated as a precaution. Students attending a school program at the city’s superdome also rushed out when parts of the structure reportedly collapsed.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) reported that the earthquake caused the Leyte, Samar, and part of the Bohol grid to separate from the Cebu-Negros-Panay grid. NGCP confirmed damage at its Daanbantayan Substation in northern Cebu, near the epicenter, and said four 230-kilovolt transmission lines in the Visayas tripped.

“Aerial and foot inspections, as well as restoration work, will be in full swing as soon as the situation allows, as there are still aftershocks in the area,” NGCP said in a statement shortly after the quake.

Authorities are continuing to assess the extent of the damage while monitoring for possible aftershocks. /mcm