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Residents scamper to safety after a 6.8 earthquake that hit Cebu City on February 6, 2012.
An earthquake in the southern Philippines killed more than a dozen people, according to reports on Monday.
The magnitude-6.7 earthquake struck near Negros island, causing landslides and destroyed homes in the region, reported Reuters. At least 240 aftershocks were reported in the area.
“While the threat of immediate danger appears to have passed, we urge the people in affected areas to remain watchful and calm, and to cooperate with the authorities,” a government spokesperson told the news agency.
Landslides triggered by the quake and aftershocks buried homes, with at least 29 people missing, Mayor Ernesto Reyes told The Associated Press.
“Their situation is bad because if you are covered by landslide for one hour, two hours, how can you breathe?” he said. “But we just hope for the best, that there are still survivors.”
A police officer in the regional town of Tayasan, Alfred Vicente Silvosa, told the news agency that the aftershocks were preventing people from going home out of fear.
“We are outside, at the town plaza. We cannot inspect buildings yet because it’s dangerous,” Silvosa said. “I felt the building shaking, so I rushed out of the building. Our computers, shelves, plates, the cupboards, water dispenser all fell.”
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was located around 45 miles north of Dumaguete city on Negros island, and had a depth of 12.4 miles.