(Image source from: Philippines quake leave 85 dead})

A high-intensity earthquake rocked Philippines today, leaving nearly 85 dead and numerous buildings in shambles.

Buildings and historic churches disappeared into dust as the epicenter, a  province near the town of Carmen, quaked with all its intensity. Bohol police chief Dennis Agustin confirmed that 69 people died in the region, while at least 16 others died in nearby Cebu province and another on Siquijor Island.

“The quake struck at 8:12 a.m. and was centered about 33 kilometers (20 miles) below Carmen on Bohol Island, where many buildings collapsed, roads cracked up and bridges fell,” the Hufington Post reported.

“Extensive damage also hit densely populated Cebu city, across a narrow strait from Bohol, causing deaths when a building in the port and the roof of a market area collapsed.The quake set off two stampedes in nearby cities. When it struck, people gathered in a gym in Cebu rushed outside in a panic, crushing five people to death and injuring eight others, said Neil Sanchez, provincial disaster management officer,” it added.

"We ran out of the building, and outside, we hugged trees because the tremors were so strong," said Vilma Yorong, a provincial government employee in Bohol.

"When the shaking stopped, I ran to the street and there I saw several injured people. Some were saying their church has collapsed," she added.

Image Source: The Huffington Post

AW: Suchorita Dutta Choudhury