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Army engineers respond to Cebu earthquake

Philippines | National

Army engineers respond to Cebu earthquake

By Martin Sadongdong

Philippine Army and Philippine National Police personnel remove obstructions at a damaged road in Poblacion, San Remigio, Cebu on September 30, 2025 following a 6.9-magnitude earthquake. (Photo: Philippine Army)

Philippine Army and Philippine National Police personnel remove obstructions at a damaged road in Poblacion, San Remigio, Cebu on September 30, 2025 following a 6.9-magnitude earthquake. (Photo: Philippine Army)

The Philippine Army (PA) has deployed engineer units to reinforce search and rescue efforts in areas devastated by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck northern Cebu on Tuesday night, Sept. 30.

“The Philippine Army continues to closely monitor the situation in Cebu and is prepared to deploy additional troops as necessary to support the government’s ongoing search, rescue, and relief operations,” Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said on Wednesday, Oct. 1.

A total of 158 troops from the Army’s 53rd Engineer Brigade were sent to the field and are now conducting operations in affected communities.

Along with manpower, the brigade dispatched an ambulance and mission-essential equipment to provide immediate medical assistance to the injured.

As of the latest update, the Army’s Search, Rescue, and Retrieval (SRR) Teams have reported rescuing five individuals, attending to five injured, and recovering four cadavers in quake-hit areas.

The Army engineer rescue teams were covering multiple sites including Medellin, Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu, Brgy. Caradio-an in Himamaylan, Negros Occidental; Sabang II in Allen, Northern Samar; Kuta Kankabato in San Jose, Tacloban City; and Dingle in Iloilo.

The quake, which occurred at 9:59 p.m., killed at least 69 individuals while 147 others were injured, mostly in Bogo City.

Read: 'All hands on deck': OCD mobilizes full force for northern Cebu earthquake response; death toll at 69

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Philippine Army engineers search and rescue earthquake Cebu

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