Rescue efforts are continuing after Monday's powerful earthquake in the central Philippines that left dozens of people dead or missing.

本周一菲律宾中部遭遇强地震袭击，造成数十人死亡或失踪，目前救援工作正在进行中。

Damaged roads and bridges pose challenges for rescue workers and the transport of aid
Army teams were carrying out search operations, said Ver Neil Balaba, operations officer at the regional Office of Civil Defence, and police had been deployed¹ to prevent looting.

''The most urgent needs now are water, tents and food,'' he said.

The quake hit 70km north of Dumaguete city on Negros island.

The 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck at 11:49 (03:49 GMT) at a depth of 20km, according to the US Geological Survey.

As of 08:00 local time, an official report put the death toll² at 15 confirmed dead, 44 reported missing and 52 injured.

The death toll includes two children, according to the government's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

One local report on Monday put the number of dead at 43, including many people killed in a landslide³ in the badly-hit coastal⁴ area of Guihulngan.

But this report has not yet been confirmed by the central authorities. Telecommunications have been cut in many areas.

A series of aftershocks followed the initial quake, one of them registered a magnitude of 6.2 at the epicentre.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology（地震学） issued a tsunami⁵ alert for the area, but had lifted it by 14:30.