[BREAKING] Magnitude 7.8 Earthquake Strikes Southern Philippines
GENERAL SANTOS CITY —A powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Mindanao region in the southern Philippines early Monday, killing at least 15 people, injuring over 200 others and prompting tsunami warnings that were later lifted across parts of the Pacific region, officials reported.
The earthquake occurred at 7:37 a.m. local time, with its epicenter located approximately 24 kilometers west-southwest of Burias, Philippines, at a depth of 35 kilometers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The country’s seismology agency, Phivolcs, said the quake hit off the shores of General Santos City in Sarangani province, the southernmost tip of Mindanao island.
The port city of General Santos sustained the heaviest damage, with disaster management officials confirming seven fatalities and about 130 injuries as several small buildings collapsed and multiple structures, including a key bridge, sustained severe cracks. Rescue teams are working urgently to verify reports that several students may be trapped inside a collapsed two-storey school building in General Santos, where Monday marked the opening day of the new academic year.
The USGS reported a powerful 6.1 magnitude aftershock hit the area about two hours after the first quake. The earthquake damaged several school buildings, forcing class suspensions at all levels, and prompted the temporary closure of General Santos International Airport, with at least 17 domestic flights canceled.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he has directed all relevant government agencies to act immediately in disaster response and relief operations.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) initially issued tsunami warnings and urged coastal residents to evacuate to higher ground. Phivolcs’ sea level monitoring stations recorded tsunami waves as high as 1.48 meters in Kiamba, Sarangani, and 0.84 meter in Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat. By Monday afternoon, Phivolcs lifted the tsunami warning after observing that the waves were too small to cause damage.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and regional authorities in Indonesia and Japan also issued tsunami alerts, which were later canceled. Indonesia detected tsunami waves up to 0.75 meters in at least seven locations along its coast, with no reports of casualties on its territory. Japanese authorities issued tsunami advisories for the Pacific coast of western and eastern Japan, with waves up to one meter possible for Miyako Island and the Yaeyama islands in Okinawa.
The Philippines sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the ocean, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries. The archipelago experiences frequent earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and approximately 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year. No tsunami threat was reported for the United States mainland or Hawaii.
–