Story highlights
NEW: Death toll rises to 144; almost 300 people injured
More than 20 people are missing
The quake was centered near a town in Bohol province
It hit on a national holiday in the Philippines
The death toll from the magnitude-7.1 earthquake in the central Philippines rose Saturday to 183, authorities said.
The massive quake, which struck Tuesday, also destroyed more 8,600 homes in Quezon City, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
The bulk of the casualties were in Bohol province.
In an update issued Saturday, the council said 583 people were injured and 13 were missing.
The quake was centered about 620 kilometers (385 miles) south-southeast of Manila, near Catigbian, and its depth was 20 kilometers (12 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The Philippines disaster council gave the quake a slightly higher rating: 7.2 magnitude.
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Tuesday was a national holiday, the beginning of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.
There was no widespread threat of a tsunami, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. It warned that earthquakes this large can sometimes cause tsunamis within 100 kilometers of the epicenter.
Tourist Robert Michael Poole said he was riding a bike in Bohol, where 149 of the deaths occurred, when the earthquake struck and cracked the road in front of him.
“I live in Tokyo; I am used to earthquakes,” Poole said. “But this one was very strong. It shocked a lot of people here.”
He said he was able to move around and document some of the destruction, including a giant church that was destroyed.
“Lucky thing is that it is a holiday here today and it happened at a time when nobody was in the church,” Poole said.
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CNN’s Joseph Netto and Tim Schwarz contributed to this report.