The number of deaths in Tuesday's magnitude 6.9 earthquake in the central Philippines has been lowered to 68 from 72 as the number of injured people rose to 559, according to the latest data released by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Friday.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD), the NDRRMC's implementing arm, said the latest death toll was based on the Management of the Dead and Missing (MDM) cluster of the Department of Interior and Local Government.

"The MDM is where the dead are stringently accounted for," said Diego Mariano, officer-in-charge of the Civil Defense Communications and Advocacy Division.

"Please take note that the numbers may increase or decrease as validation of the MDM is ongoing," added Mariano.

The NDRRMC stated that the shallow, offshore earthquake that struck Cebu Province, with its epicenter in Bogo City, has also affected 80,595 families, or 366,360 people.

The NDRRMC reported that the quake damaged 5,013 houses and 335 infrastructures.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has recorded 3,952 aftershocks, ranging from magnitude 1 to 5, as of 8 a.m. Friday.

The Philippine government announced on Thursday the official termination of search, rescue, and retrieval operations in the areas hardest hit by the powerful earthquake that struck the northern part of Cebu province in the central Philippines late Tuesday night.