At least 32 people have been killed and more than 100 injured after a powerful magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, triggering widespread destruction, landslides, and tsunami alerts across the Pacific region.
The earthquake hit at 7:37 a.m. local time on Monday, with its epicentre located near the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, the country’s second-largest island and home to approximately 26 million people.
Authorities say the death toll is expected to rise as rescue teams continue searching through damaged buildings and landslide-hit communities. Nearly two dozen people remain missing, while around 10,000 residents have been evacuated from vulnerable areas as a precaution.
One of the most dramatic scenes emerged from the city of General Santos, where a branch of popular Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee Foods Corporation collapsed during the quake, leaving the building reduced to rubble.
The hardest-hit areas include the provinces of Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and General Santos City.
Local officials in Sarangani reported at least 17 deaths, many linked to landslides triggered by the powerful shaking. The province also experienced temporary disruptions to electricity and communications services before networks were restored.
In General Santos, the city closest to the earthquake’s epicentre, authorities confirmed 10 fatalities and reported that 22 people remain missing. The city, widely known as the Philippines’ tuna capital and the hometown of boxing legend and former senator Manny Pacquiao, suffered significant structural damage.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assured residents that the national government was mobilizing resources to support affected communities.
“The national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind,” Marcos said in a statement.
The president also ordered the suspension of classes in affected regions. The earthquake struck on the first day of the new academic year, forcing schools to evacuate students and staff.
Videos shared on social media showed frightened students crouching on shaking school grounds as buildings swayed around them. In one incident, a corrugated-roof shelter collapsed behind students at a school in Davao Occidental, though no injuries were reported.
The earthquake generated more than 130 aftershocks, ranging in magnitude from 1.3 to 6.7, creating ongoing concerns about additional structural collapses and landslides.
The quake also triggered tsunami warnings across several countries, including the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, and Australia.
Japanese authorities initially warned of waves reaching up to one metre along parts of the country’s coastline. Smaller tsunami waves were later recorded in Okinawa and the Ogasawara Islands, while waves ranging from a few centimetres to 1.4 metres were observed in parts of the Philippines, Indonesia, and Palau.
Several tsunami alerts were later downgraded or cancelled after assessments showed a reduced threat.
The Philippines lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the world’s most active seismic zones where earthquakes and volcanic activity occur frequently. While many tremors are minor, powerful earthquakes have repeatedly caused devastating loss of life across the archipelago.
Emergency responders continue search-and-rescue operations as authorities assess the full extent of the destruction caused by one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the Philippines in recent years.
