At Least 32 Dead After Earthquake Hits Southern Philippines, Authorities Say

The death toll in yesterday’s powerful earthquake in the southern Philippines has risen to at least 32, the Philippine authorities said, as they intensified relief operations in the affected area.

The magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck early yesterday morning about 20 kilometers off the coast of Sarangani province in Mindanao, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), triggering tsunami warnings in several countries.

The tremors were felt strongly across Mindanao and as far away as Manado on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, some 420 kilometers from the epicenter of the quake.

Among the worst hit areas was General Santos, a city of around 700,000 near Sarangani, where the earthquake damaged shops and buildings. Videos posted to social media show significant tremors during the earthquake, while photographs released by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) show at least one large building reduced to rubble.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines initially suspended operations at General Santos airport pending an assessment of its facilities, Rappler reported, but later approved its reopening in order to facilitate government, military, and humanitarian flights.

The Philippine government mobilized military and disaster response teams from the NDRRMC and DSWD, and the Office of Civil Defense said that it was verifying preliminary reports of 32 possible deaths, mostly from falling debris and landslides. A further 134 people are believed to have been injured across Mindanao.

After the quake, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered an immediate disaster response in Mindanao, directing agencies to prepare relief supplies and evacuation centers, he said in a statement posted to his social media accounts. He also urged people in affected areas to “move to higher ground.”

“The national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind,” Marcos said. “I am in constant communication with our regional offices and local chief executives on the ground.”

The earthquake happened as public schools in the Philippines began a new academic year, and Marcos ordered the closure of schools in affected areas “until further notice.” Around 6,200 schools are likely to be impacted by the closures, according to the Department of Education.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology agency said there were more than 200 aftershocks, at least nine of which were strong enough to be felt across Mindanao. The highest clocked in at 6.7 on the Richter scale.

The earthquake also prompted the Institute to issue a tsunami warning, advising residents of nine provinces in Mindanao to evacuate immediately from coastal areas, although this was rescinded after about six hours.

Authorities in northern Indonesia and the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo island also issued tsunami warnings, ordering residents in coastal areas to evacuate immediately to higher ground. According to a Reuters report, no significant damage was reported in any of these areas.