Magnitude 7.8 Mindanao earthquake leaves 35 dead, 200 injured

(Updated as of 11.03 p.m.)

MANILA, Philippines — A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off Sarangani on Monday morning, killing at least 35 people, leaving 12 others missing and injuring more than 200 as buildings collapsed and landslides hit several areas in Mindanao.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the tectonic earthquake occurred at 7:37 a.m. It was initially recorded as magnitude 7.0 before being upgraded to magnitude 7.8.

Tsunami warnings were issued in the Philippines, Indonesia, Palau, Taiwan and Papua New Guinea after the offshore quake struck about 32 kilometers southwest of Maasim, Sarangani, at a depth of 33 kilometers. Authorities urged residents in coastal communities to move to higher ground immediately.

READ: Magnitude 7 quake sends students, workers fleeing in parts of Mindanao

Death toll rises

National disaster authorities said at least 32 people had died, while 12 remained missing and more than 200 others were injured.

The earthquake triggered a deadly landslide in Glan, Sarangani, where 13 villagers were killed after soil and debris buried houses at the foot of a mountain.

READ: CDN Top Stories [June 9]: Cebu prepares to send aid after Mindanao quake

Rene Punzalan, chie of Sarangani’s Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, said the landslide occurred immediately after the earthquake.

“The landslide happened immediately after the earthquake, so many lives were lost,” Punzalan said.

Four other residents in Sarangani also died from causes that authorities were still determining, he added.

Punzalan said communication remained a major challenge because power outages had cut off contact with several affected communities.

“The greatest challenge is communication. The power was cut, so it’s hard to get updates,” he said.

“We’re worried about aftershocks. We can feel the fear of the residents.”

In General Santos City, at least nine people were killed as the earthquake caused widespread structural damage.

Rescue workers searched through the rubble of collapsed buildings Monday afternoon in a bid to recover victims and locate missing persons.

The Bureau of Fire Protection said it was conducting search-and-rescue operations in a damaged commercial building and a warehouse in the city.

Authorities were also verifying reports that some students may have been trapped in a collapsed school building.

The strongest reported intensity was Intensity VIII, or very destructive, in General Santos City, where several structures collapsed.

“A number of buildings collapsed,” Master Sergeant Robert Dagon of the General Santos City police said.

A three-story commercial building housing a Jollibee restaurant and a Love Radio station collapsed. Parts of SM City General Santos and a building at the Notre Dame of Dadiangas University also sustained major damage.

READ: DepEd: Schools hit by Mindanao earthquake rise to 8,642

Videos verified by AFP showed the commercial complex reduced to rubble and the university building collapsing.

“Lord, it has really collapsed! … The building has really collapsed!” someone can be heard shouting as the school structure toppled.

Officials said the university building was unoccupied when it collapsed.

Powerful aftershocks

A series of strong aftershocks struck the region beginning about two hours after the main earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey. The strongest aftershock measured magnitude 6.7.

Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol described the tremor as the strongest earthquake to hit the Philippines this year and warned residents not to immediately return to damaged buildings.

“It’s a major earthquake,” Bacolcol said.

He advised residents to seek professional assessment before reentering damaged houses and buildings, which could collapse during aftershocks.

Rod Sosmeña, director of the Office of Civil Defense in Soccsksargen, said he was traveling in General Santos City when the earthquake struck.

“Our pickup truck suddenly jerked and I thought we had a flat tire,” Sosmeña told The Associated Press. “The shaking was very strong and people dashed out of houses into the streets.”

Another disaster official, Ednar Dayanghirang, said he struggled to remain standing during the tremor.

“[I] could hardly stand and keep my balance when the ground shook as I was leaving my house,” Dayanghirang said.

Tsunami waves

Tsunami waves were recorded in six coastal areas following the earthquake, according to Phivolcs.

The first waves were observed in Maasim, Sarangani, at 7:42 a.m., followed by Kiamba, Sarangani, at 7:44 a.m.; Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat, at 7:59 a.m.; Mati, Davao Oriental, at 8:19 a.m.; Zamboanga City at 8:32 a.m.; and Tandag City, Surigao del Sur, at 8:45 a.m.

Phivolcs said tsunami wave heights varied by location, with the highest reaching 1.4 meters above normal tide levels in Kiamba, Sarangani. Waves of about 1 meter were also recorded in portions of Sarangani and Sultan Kudarat.

More than 2,000 residents evacuated from coastal communities after the tsunami warning was issued.

Tsunami-related damage was reported in at least one coastal village in Zamboanga del Sur, where six stilt houses were damaged by the waves.

The tsunami was also detected outside the Philippines.

An 83-centimeter wave was measured off Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, while a 30-centimeter wave was recorded in Palau.

In Japan, authorities reported waves of up to 20 centimeters on the Pacific coast after issuing a tsunami advisory.

By mid-afternoon, Philippine authorities and neighboring countries had canceled tsunami warnings after assessments showed no major threat remained.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the tsunami threat had largely passed about five hours after the earthquake.

Classes disrupted

The Mindanao earthquake disrupted the opening day of classes, sending students and teachers rushing out of classrooms as schools activated emergency protocols.

In one video verified by AFP, schoolchildren could be seen screaming while teachers held them as the ground shook violently. A metal structure in the background later collapsed, though school officials said nobody was underneath it.

Dayanghirang said more than 100 students attending morning flag-raising ceremonies sustained bruises, while some fainted amid the panic caused by the earthquake.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. suspended classes in affected areas of Mindanao and directed disaster-response agencies to immediately assist quake-hit communities.

“The national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind,” Marcos said.

Earlier, he urged residents in coastal areas to evacuate immediately.

“Move to higher ground now. Do not wait,” he said. “Your life is more important than anything left behind.”

The Department of Education said the earthquake affected 3,239,964 students, 128,861 teaching and non-teaching personnel, and 6,224 public schools across 33 school divisions in Regions IX, X, XI, XII and Caraga.

In Koronadal City, the earthquake lasted about 30 seconds and disrupted internet, electricity and water services in parts of the city and nearby areas.

Airport closure

The airport in General Santos was closed until further notice. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said 17 domestic flights were canceled after damage assessments began at the facility.

The Mindanao earthquake also damaged infrastructure and disrupted transportation and communications in several parts of Mindanao.

Earthquakes are a near-daily occurrence in the Philippines, which is situated on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

Eastern Mindanao was rocked by a pair of earthquakes measuring magnitude 7.4 and 6.7 in October that killed at least eight people. .

These followed a magnitude 6.9 earthquake days earlier that killed 76 people and destroyed or damaged 72,000 buildings in Cebu province in central Philippines, according to government figures.

With reports from Williamor Magbanua, Edwin O. Fernandez, Bong S. Sarmiento, John Eric Mendoza, Mary Joy Salcedo, and Kyodo News

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