Magnitude 7.8 Quake Hits Mindanao, Philippines; 32 Confirmed Dead/ Image@ BBC
A powerful magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Mindanao island in the southern Philippines on Monday at 07:37 local time (Sunday 23:37 GMT), resulting in at least 32 fatalities, according to officials.
The seismic event triggered tsunami warnings across multiple regions, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, and Australia, although several alerts were lifted hours later.
Footage from the scene revealed extensive destruction, with buildings collapsing, including a Jollibee fast food outlet that was left in ruins.
Reports indicate that at least 134 individuals sustained injuries across various provinces such as South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and the city of General Santos.
These figures are pending verification from the national disaster management agency.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council typically releases an official tally approximately one day after such incidents, compiling data from police reports, local officials, and disaster relief organizations.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued a statement affirming that government agencies are actively coordinating disaster response efforts.
”The national government is mobilizing, and we will not abandon Mindanao,” he assured.
In light of the quake coinciding with the first day of the school year in the Philippines, Marcos ordered the suspension of classes in affected regions.
A video shared by a primary school in Davao Occidental province depicted frightened students crouching on the ground as the tremors continued.
Fortunately, the school reported no injuries.
Following the initial quake, over 130 aftershocks were recorded, with magnitudes ranging from 1.3 to 6.7.
The coastal province of Sarangani experienced temporary outages in power and communication services, although these were restored shortly afterward.
General Santos, located near the earthquake’s epicenter, is recognized as the “tuna capital” of the Philippines and is also the hometown of renowned boxing champion-turned-politician Manny Pacquiao.
Earthquakes are frequent in the Philippines, situated on the tectonically active “Ring of Fire.”
While most tremors are minor, some have resulted in significant casualties, for instance, a magnitude-6.9 earthquake last September in the central Visayas region claimed over 70 lives.
In the immediate aftermath of Monday’s quake, Japanese authorities warned of potential tsunami waves reaching heights of one meter.
A small tsunami wave measuring a few centimeters was later detected in Okinawa, while a 20cm (0.7ft) wave was recorded in the remote Ogasawara Islands.
Additional waves were observed along the coasts of Indonesia, Palau, and the Philippines, with heights ranging from mere centimeters to 1.4m (4.6ft), as reported by authorities.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong