Cebu, Philippines — September 30, 2025
A powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the Visayas archipelago on September 30, 2025, at 21:59 PST (13:59 UTC), causing widespread devastation across Cebu Province and neighbouring regions. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) confirmed that the epicentre was located off the coast of Daanbantayan, northern Cebu, making it the strongest earthquake ever recorded in the region and the deadliest in the Philippines since 2013.
The tremor, which originated from the newly identified Bogo Bay Fault, killed at least 70 people and injured 559 others, with authorities reporting ₱3 billion (US$60.91 million) in infrastructure losses. Thousands of homes, schools, and churches collapsed, while power outages, landslides, and aftershocks continued to disrupt life across the Visayas.
The quake’s epicentre was located 11 kilometres east of Daanbantayan, at a depth of 5 kilometres, according to both PHIVOLCS and the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The USGS ShakeMap recorded a Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) of IX (Violent) in northern Cebu, affecting approximately 59,000 people in Daanbantayan, Bogo, and Medellin. Tremors were also felt across Leyte, Masbate, Bohol, Negros Occidental, Samar, and Southern Luzon, with over 5,000 aftershocks recorded by October 3.
On October 3, PHIVOLCS officially identified the Bogo Bay Fault as the source of the earthquake. Previously undetected due to its underwater location, the fault had been inactive for over 400 years. Drone surveys revealed that it extends approximately 1.5 kilometres, moving in a right-lateral strike-slip motion — confirming the region’s complex tectonic setting within the Philippine Mobile Belt.
Following the main quake, PHIVOLCS issued a Tsunami Advisory for Leyte, Cebu, and Biliran due to minor sea level disturbances. The warning was lifted after three hours.
The Philippine government declared a state of calamity in Cebu Province and 53 municipalities. President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. visited Bogo City on October 2, announcing ₱200 million in direct aid and ₱5 million each for provincial hospitals. He also ordered the creation of a tent city for displaced residents and mandated the restoration of electricity within two days.