08 June 2026 , 08:27
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Residents warned not to enter damaged homes or other buildings due to the threat of aftershocks following a 7.8-magnitude quake.
A magnitude-7.8 earthquake shook part of the southern Philippines early on Monday, resulting in collapsed buildings and at least 15 fatalities.
“Many buildings were affected, but I cannot enumerate them now because we are busy with ongoing rescues,” Robert Dagon, of the General Santos city police, told Agence France-Presse.
The national disaster agency reported that at least 15 people had died – 12 in the Soccsksargen region of Mindanao island, and three in Davao Occidental province.
The office of civil defense warned people to avoid entering damaged homes or infrastructure due to the threat of aftershocks.
Video verified by the Guardian shows the collapse of the upper floor of a Jollibee restaurant, a popular fast food chain, as well as the outer concrete walls of a commercial complex giving way in General Santos City, near the epicenter of the quake.
In Davao del Sur, part of a high school collapsed as students gathered outside, a video shared by local radio network Bombo Radyo showed.
Images of a convenience store in General Santos City showed its entrance destroyed with smashed glass and overturned benches strewn across the street outside.
Power outages were reported and people were urged to move to higher ground. No further information on casualties was immediately available from the office of civil defense.
The epicenter was 8 miles (13km) southwest of General Santos City, Mindanao, with a depth of 6.2 miles, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology in its initial report. It struck at 7:37 am. The US Geological Survey stated the magnitude as 7.8 with a depth of 34 miles.
Shortly after the quake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center indicated that waves up to 3 meters (10ft) were possible on some coasts of the Philippines and waves up to 1 meter were possible on some coasts of Indonesia and Malaysia. In a later update, it mentioned that the threat had largely passed.
The president of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, stated that evacuation centers were ready and operational, as government agencies continued to assess damage and clear routes needed for rescue operations.
Residents felt the earthquake tremors in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi and North Maluku provinces.
The Philippines, one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, is often hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults surrounding the ocean. The archipelago is also struck by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms annually.
The earthquake struck as public schools reopened for a new academic year. A video taken at Mahayhay elementary school in Davao showed panicked pupils scrambling for safety during the morning flag ceremony.
The Philippines Red Cross reported attending three high schools to support students traumatized by the quake.
Marcos Jr ordered the suspension of schools in affected areas until further notice. “The safety of our children comes first,” he said.
World Affairs Correspondent