The death toll from a magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck the central Philippines earlier this week has risen to 72, the national disaster agency said on Thursday.

Nearly 300 people were injured, while more than 170,000 were affected by the quake, which struck Cebu province on Tuesday evening.

Thirty people died in Bogo City, the epicentre of the offshore quake, where landslides buried homes, the agency said.

Another 22 were killed in San Remigio, 12 in Medellin, five in Tabogon, and one each in Sogod, Tabuelan, and Borbon.

The disaster agency reported 597 houses partially or totally damaged, along with 87 government facilities, hospitals, bridges, churches, roads, and private buildings.

It was not immediately clear if people remained trapped under collapsed structures.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) stated that the quake lasted approximately 30 seconds.

Around 2,300 aftershocks of up to magnitude 5.0 have been recorded so far.

Phivolcs director Teresito Bacolcol urged residents not to return to damaged homes, warning that aftershocks could continue for days or even weeks and could cause structures to collapse.

“Consult civil engineers and structural engineers in your municipal or city engineering office and seek advice regarding the integrity of the buildings,” he said.

(dpa/NAN)