Cruel lottery: For many victims, surviving Cebu quake came down to timing

A firefighter and three coast guard personnel were among those killed when this sports complex where they were playing basketball fell apart. - Photo: AFP

CEBU, (Philippines): At 10pm on Tuesday (Sept 30), the ground under the central Philippine province of Cebu shifted. A 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck, brief but brutal, for about half a minute.

In those thirty seconds, survival came down to timing.