Bogo city: An initial 158 Philippine Army (PA) personnel have been deployed and are currently conducting search and rescue missions in areas affected by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Bogo City, Cebu late Tuesday night. In a statement on Wednesday, PA spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala confirmed that the deployed teams are from their 53rd Engineer Brigade.

According to Philippines News Agency, the teams have also deployed an ambulance and essential equipment to provide immediate medical care to injured individuals. The PA teams are covering multiple areas, including Medellin, Cebu City, and Lapulapu City in Cebu; Brgy. Caradio-an in Himamaylan, Negros Occidental; Sabang II in Allen, Northern Samar; Kuta Kankabato in Brgy. San Jose, Tacloban City; and Dingle, Iloilo.

As of Wednesday afternoon, five individuals have been rescued by the PA teams. In addition to these rescues, the teams have provided aid to five injured individuals and retrieved four bodies from the affected sites. Dema-ala noted, “This is a developing report and the Army also awaits official reports from other PA units within the affected areas.”

The PA is actively monitoring the situation in Cebu and is prepared to deploy additional troops as necessary to support the government’s search, rescue, and relief operations.