Mindanao quake prompts hospital evacuation in Kidapawan City

KIDAPAWAN CITY— Patients at Kidapawan City Hospital were temporarily moved to a designated safe open area along the Cotabato–Davao Highway on Monday morning following a strong earthquake that shook parts of Mindanao, prompting health facilities across the city to implement precautionary measures.

Authorities carried out the evacuation following a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit Mindanao at around 7:37 a.m. and was initially reported as magnitude 7.0, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

The offshore tremor, traced southwest of Maasim, General Santos City, at a depth of about 33 kilometers, was widely felt across several regions, triggering panic in hospitals, schools, and government offices.

READ: Tsunami warnings after magnitude 7.8 quake strikes off Philippines

Hospital staff moved patients, particularly those in non-critical condition, out of the building and into an open area along the highway as a safety precaution while structural assessments were being considered.

Across Mindanao, several local government units suspended classes and ordered inspections of schools and public infrastructure as reports of strong shaking prompted widespread precautionary responses.

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