Philippines quake death toll rises to 69

MANILA — The death toll from a 6.9-magnitude earthquake that hit the central Philippines has risen to 69, a disaster official said on Wednesday as the government mobilized agencies to search for survivors and restore power and water supplies.

In Bogo city in the north of Cebu Province, which was near the epicenter of the shallow quake that struck off the coast just before 10 pm on Tuesday, the hospital has been "overwhelmed", Civil Defense official Raffy Alejandro told reporters.