MANILA, Philippines (AP) — An offshore earthquake of magnitude 6.9 collapsed walls of houses and buildings late Tuesday in a central Philippine province, killing at least 31 people, injuring many others and sending residents scrambling out of homes into darkness as the intense shaking cut off power, officials said.

Rescuers are using backhoes and sniffer dogs to look for survivors in collapsed houses and other damaged buildings in the central Philippines, a day after an earthquake killed at least 69 people.

Generally, the foreign office advises against all travel to parts of the Philippines, including Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago. The FCDO encourages prospective travellers to Cebu and nearby provinces to contact their travel providers and check their travel insurance covers natural disasters.

Rescuers check the rubble for survivors and bring out victims in body bags following a powerful magnitude-6.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of Bogo in Cebu

A powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake shook central Philippines late Tuesday, claiming more than 60 lives and causing widespread damage across Cebu province. The quake, centred near Bogo, led to massive power cuts and collapsed structures,

The death toll in a powerful earthquake that hit the central Philippines late Tuesday has risen to 72 with nearly 300 others injured.

The earthquake caused buildings to violently shake as authorities issue an urgent warning to people living near the coast at about 10 p.m. local time Tuesday, September 30.