Death Toll Rises in Philippines Earthquake

At least 93 people were killed Tuesday when a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit the central Philippines, CBN News reports. The quake, centered about 20 miles below the town of Carmen on Bohol Island, collapsed buildings and historic churches, cracked roads and sent terrified residents into deadly stampedes. When it hit, people gathered in a gym in the city of Cebu rushed outside in a panic, crushing five people to death and injuring eight others. Offices and schools were closed for a national holiday -- the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha -- which may have saved lives. The earthquake was also deeper below the surface than last year's 6.9-magnitude quake near Negros Island, also in the central Philippines, that killed nearly 100 people.