(CNN) — A powerful earthquake struck the central Philippines late Tuesday, killing at least 60 people and severely damaging buildings and infrastructure in nearby towns and cities.

The shallow 6.9 magnitude quake struck around 10 p.m. local time, just west of Palompon and close to the city of Bogo in Cebu province.

Emergency services were scrambling to find survivors on Wednesday, with military troops, police and civilian volunteers carrying out door-by-door searches – aided by sniffer dogs, the Associated Press (AP) reported

Civil Defense officials at both the national and local level said at least 60 people had been killed. More than 150 were believed to have been injured.

The hospital in Bogo, a costal city of around 90,000 people, had been “overwhelmed,” Civil Defense official R

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