CEBU CITY – Cebu needs help.

The provincial government of Cebu appealed for help following widespread devastation caused by a magnitude 6.9-earthquake late Tuesday night, Sept. 30.

“So many destroyed houses here in Bogo. What we need from the private sector…We are asking for help…we need prepared meals,” said Baricuatro, who immediately travelled to affected areas in northern Cebu shortly after the quake struck.

Several towns were affected by the earthquake but Bogo City was the hardest-hit. The magnitude 6.7-earthquake that was later upgraded to 6.9 struck at 9:59 p.m.

The epicenter was located in Bogo, which accounted for most of the fatalities.

As of 12 noon on Wednesday, Oct. 1, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) reported 56 fatalities, 28 coming from Bogo.

At least seven fatalities came from Yolanda Village in Barangay Polambato, Bogo. The victims were pinned to death when their houses collapsed. The area is called Yolanda Village as houses there were built for the survivors of typhoon ‘’Yolanda’’ in 2013.

In San Remigio, a gymnasium collapsed, killing 11 people. A basketball game was ongoing in the gym when the earthquake struck.

The local government of San Remigio initially reported that it recorded 22 fatalities before it corrected the figures.

Among the fatalities in San Remigio are three Coast Guard personnel identified as Seaman 2nd Class Lawrence Palomo, Apprentice Seaman (ASN) Jujay Mahusay, and ASN Ert Cart Dacunes.

Local officials in San Remigio are appealing after their four water reservoirs collapsed, cutting water supply to several areas.

The town said it needs drinking water and tap water as well as water tankers to distribute water to affected residents.

Ten people also died in Medellin town while five others perished in Tabogon. Tabuelan and Sogod each recorded one fatality.

Some of those who perished were pinned by boulders that rolled to their house after a landslide.

The PDDRMO recorded 201 injured individuals. At least 214 individuals were stranded in the towns of Carmen and Consolacion after some roads became impassable due to damage caused by the earthquake.

At least 43 municipalities in Cebu declared suspension of classes on all levels.

Because of the devastation, Cebu was placed under a state of calamity, allowing the provincial government to mobilize resources, provide urgent relief, and implement recovery measures across affected communities.

A command center was set up at the Capitol where donations intended for the victims were received.

One of those who showed up at the command center on Wednesday was singer-actress Zsa Zsa Padilla, who donated in-kind and financial assistance.

Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro, Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon, Tourism Secretary Chirstina Frasco, and Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian were among the national government officials who arrived in Bogo to assess the damage.

Aside from fatalities and injuries, infrastructure damage was also widespread. Some bridges and private and public buildings collapsed while some roads sustained huge cracks.

Some of towns also experienced power outages.

A yellow alert was raised by the Visayas Grid Authority on Wednesday morning after 27 plants tripped, resulting in a total loss of 1,444.1 megawatts.

Also, 16 plants went offline while another one operated at reduced capacity, leaving 1,654.7 megawatts unavailable.

Some local government units, including the province of Bohol, sent personnel to Bogo.

Aside from sending 16 personnel, Bohol Gov. Aris Aumentado announced that the province will donate P5 million to Cebu for its relief efforts.

The Department of Health (DOH) sent medical teams from Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center and DOH-Cebu South Medical Center to Bogo and nearby towns.