At least 19 dead after magnitude 7.8 quake off Mindanao in the Philippines

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake off the coast of Mindanao in the southern Philippines has killed at least 19 people, injured many more and triggered tsunami alerts across the region. The quake struck on Monday at 07:37 local time, or 23:37 GMT on Sunday, and was felt across several provinces in the south. Buildings collapsed in multiple areas, including General Santos, and emergency officials continued to assess the scale of the damage.

Sponsored

Officials said at least 134 people were reportedly injured across South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos, although those figures still need to be verified by the national disaster agency. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council usually publishes its official count about a day after an incident, after compiling reports from police, local officials and disaster relief agencies. More than 130 aftershocks were recorded after the initial quake, with magnitudes ranging from 1.3 to 6.7.

The earthquake briefly disrupted power and communication networks in Sarangani province before services were restored. In General Santos, videos and images showed a fast food restaurant reduced to rubble, while a school in Davao Occidental posted footage of students taking cover as a shelter collapsed behind them. The school said no one was injured, and officials also ordered class suspensions in affected areas after the quake, which came on the first day of the school year in the Philippines.

Tsunami alerts were issued in the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and Australia, underlining the regional reach of a shallow offshore quake. Some of the warnings were later cancelled, but authorities continued to monitor coastal conditions as emergency teams worked in the affected areas. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology monitored 1-metre waves in parts of Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani, while the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned that waves up to 3 metres were possible on some Philippine coasts.

Sponsored

The incident is significant because the Philippines sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where strong earthquakes are a recurring risk. Mindanao is the country's second-largest island and includes densely populated coastal areas, which can increase the impact of major shaking and any associated tsunami threat. General Santos, near the quake's epicentre, is a major commercial centre in the south and a key location in the current response.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said agencies were coordinating the disaster response and said the national government would not leave Mindanao behind. The national disaster council is expected to provide a fuller official casualty and damage count once reports from local authorities are consolidated. What remains unclear is the final death toll, the extent of structural damage and whether any significant tsunami waves were recorded before the alerts were lifted or downgraded.

Further updates are likely to focus on rescue operations, infrastructure checks and revisions to the quake's impact figures.

#Philippines #Mindanao #earthquake #tsunami #disaster

Sponsored