The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) terminated search and rescue operation after a 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck Cebu province this week, killing at least 68 people and injuring over 200.
Authorities said that the decision was made as all missing persons had been accounted for and there were no further signs of trapped individuals. Efforts will now shift toward the distribution of relief goods and post-disaster reconstruction.
Near the hard-hit city of Bogo, the remote village of Barangay Binabag suffered devastating landslides during the Tuesday evening quake.
Access to the area remains severely limited, with large vehicles unable to navigate the damaged roads, leaving motorcycles as the primary means of transport. Massive boulders had torn through houses after cascading down slopes.
The earthquake struck around 10 p.m. Tuesday, when most residents were already asleep, making escape nearly impossible. Landslide scars remain visible throughout the community, with giant rocks still scattered across the village.
Cebu quake likely triggered by fault that had not produced powerful tremor in past 400 years
Local teacher Gehner Monsale told the reporter that a colleague residing in the village was among those killed. In a separate incident, four children from the family of a friend of Monsale had all died in the disaster.
"I'm really sad about the tragedy we've experienced here in Barangay Binabag. It's a very big change. So most of the people go down to the safe area or the evacuation area or the relocation site," he said.
‘He was our youngest’: Family mourns death of referee in Cebu quake
DOT eyes restoration of destroyed churches