An estimated 60 people have been confirmed killed and nearly 150 injured after a powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the coast of the central Philippine island province of Cebu, Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday.

Citing the United States Geological Survey, the report said the earthquake hit at 9:59 p.m. local time on Tuesday (13:59 GMT) near the northern tip of Cebu Island, close to the city of Bogo, which is home to about 90,000 residents. The initial tremor was followed by four strong aftershocks, each registering magnitude 5 or higher.

Rafaelito Alejandro, deputy administrator of the Philippines Office of Civil Defence, confirmed the new casualty figures on Wednesday, marking a sharp rise from the earlier official death toll of 26 announced by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

"We are receiving additional numbers of reported casualties so this thing is very fluid. We are receiving reports (that) as high as 60 individuals are reported to have perished in this earthquake," Alejandro told reporters in Manila.

Local news outlets reported that a "state of calamity" has been declared in parts of Cebu.

The strong quake caused widespread power outages and brought down buildings. The Cebu provincial government issued a public call on its official Facebook page for medical volunteers to assist in the aftermath.

"We are still assessing the damage," Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro said in a video posted on social media. "But it could be worse than we think," she warned, adding that she has been in contact with the president’s office to request immediate aid.

Baricuatro later confirmed that a number of houses and a hospital had been damaged by the tremors. Emergency medical teams have been deployed to treat injured residents, Al Jazeera reported.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology also urged residents in Cebu, Leyte, and Biliran to avoid coastal areas due to a "minor sea level disturbance," cautioning them to remain alert for any unusual wave activity.

Source: ANI