Call center employees surf their mobile phones as they gather outside their office building after the earthquake in Cebu, central Philippines, September 30, 2025.

A powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake jolted the central Philippines late Tuesday, collapsing buildings and killing at least 20 people on the island of Cebu, authorities said, with fears the toll could rise as rescuers worked through the night.

The shallow quake struck at 9:50 pm (1359 GMT) off the island's northern end near Bogo, a city of 90,000 people, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

Three people on the outskirts of Bogo were