Cebu: A powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of central Philippines on Tuesday evening, damaging buildings, roads, and causing widespread power outages in parts of the region, as emergency responders launched search and rescue operations.

The tremor struck at 9:59 pm local time (1359 GMT) just off the northern tip of Cebu island, shaking nearby provinces and prompting warnings of potential aftershocks and sea-level disturbances.

Municipal rescue teams rushed to inspect collapsed structures in northern Cebu, including a public building and a gymnasium, according to provincial disaster officer Wilson Ramos. “There could be people trapped beneath collapsed buildings,” he told AFP, noting that rescue efforts were ongoing in the town of San Remigio and the city of Bogo, home to around 90,000 residents. The number of possible missing persons was still unclear, he added.

Search operations have been hampered by darkness and multiple aftershocks. The US Geological Survey recorded at least four additional quakes of magnitude 5.0 or higher in the region following the initial tremor.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology issued an advisory for a “minor sea-level disturbance,” urging residents in Leyte, Cebu, and Biliran provinces to avoid coastal areas.

Eyewitnesses described the terrifying moments when the quake hit. “We felt the shake here in our station, it was so strong,” said Cebu firefighter Joey Leeguid from San Fernando town. “We saw our locker moving from left to right, we felt slightly dizzy for a while but we are all fine now.”

In Bantayan, a coastal resort town near the epicentre, 25-year-old resident Martham Pacilan described the scene in the town square. “I heard a loud booming noise from the direction of the church then I saw rocks falling from the structure. Luckily no one got hurt,” he said. “I was in shock and in panic at the same time but my body couldn’t move, I was just there waiting for the shake to stop.”

No tsunami warning has been issued, but officials continue to monitor coastal activity.