Rescuers used backhoes and sniffer dogs to look for survivors in collapsed houses and other damaged buildings in the central Philippines after an earthquake killed at least 72 people and injured more than 200 others.

More than 170,000 people were affected, including many who have refused to return home because they were traumatized and fearful of aftershocks.

Experts said the quake was triggered by a shallow undersea fault line that has not moved for at least 400 years.

Rescuers check the rubble for survivors and bring out victims in body bags following a magnitude-6.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of Bogo in Cebu province, Philippines. The quake Tuesday collapsed houses and buildings,

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

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

BOGO, Philippines — Rescuers used backhoes and sniffer dogs to look for survivors in collapsed houses and other damaged buildings in the central Philippines on Wednesday, a day after an earthquake killed at least 69 people and injured more than 200 others.

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.