At least 29 were killed by landslides while 10 others were
crushed by collapsing buildings in the mountainous town of of Guihulngan on Negros
island, said Colonel Francisco Patrimonio.
Four other people were killed in other parts of Negros
which also suffered widespread power outages and damaged roads and bridges,
hampering rescue efforts, the colonel told reporters.
"Looting is now rampant in Guihulngan which forced us to
commit [more troops] with the Philippine national police," he added.
The 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the central
Philippines in
a narrow strait between the heavily populated island provinces of Negros
and Cebu.
Almost four hours after the quake struck, a 6.2-magnitude
aftershock hit the central Philippines
again, panicking rescuers once more.