earthquake struck the central Philippines

7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the central Philippines

A magnitude-7.2 earthquake struck in the central Philippines on Tuesday morning, killing 276 people and severely damaging some of the country's most hallowed churches, authorities said.

The earthquake hit at 8:12 a.m. (5:12 p.m. Monday ET) less than a mile from the town of Carmen in Bohol province, the U.S. Geological Survey and Philippine emergency authorities said. Carmen is in a remote region across the Cebu Strait about 40 miles from Cebu City.