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A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the central Philippines on Monday, killing at least 43 people and causing widespread panic, officials said. The powerful quake hit in a narrow strait between the heavily populated island provinces of Negros and Cebu, causing buildings to collapse, cracking roads and bridges, and shutting down the power supply. In Cebu city, a popular tourist destination and city of 2.3 million, hotel guests scrambled to higher floors as unfounded rumors that a huge tsunami was bearing down spread by text message. At least 29 were killed by landslides while 10 others were crushed by collapsing buildings in the mountainous town of Guihulngan in Negros, said regional military official Colonel Francisco Patrimonio. There was also an undetermined number of wounded, he added. Four other people were killed in other parts of Negros which also suffered widespread power outages and cracked roads and bridges, hampering rescue efforts, Patrimonio told reporters. "Looting is now rampant in Guihulngan which forced us to commit (more troops) with the Philippine national police," the colonel added. Civil defense chief Benito Ramos said the violent shaking of buildings in Cebu city - 50 kilometers from the epicenter - led to broken windows and cracks on some walls even if no high rises sustained major damage. Local residents said there was panic in the country's second-biggest city, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage there. | 
