The Philippines and Indonesia both issued tsunami warnings after a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Mindanao. At least 32 people were killed and more than 200 injured.
The powerful earthquake caused substantial damage on the Philippine island of Mindanao Image: Edwin Espejo/AFP
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A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Mindanao in the southern Philippines on Monday morning, killing at least 32 people.
The seismological agencies of the Philippines and Indonesia issued tsunami warnings, advising people along the coast to evacuate to higher ground or travel inland. Both countries lifted their alerts later on Monday.
Tsunami damage was reported in at least one village after the earthquake sent 1-meter (3-foot) waves into nearby coasts.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said authorities were moving fast to coordinate disaster response.
"The national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind," Marcos said in a statement.
The Philippines lies on the edge of the Pacific's so-called 'Ring of Fire' — an arc of seismic faults that makes the country unusually prone to volcanos, earthquakes and tsunamis.
At least several are dead and many injured after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocked the island nation. Damage is still being assessed and tsunami warnings have mostly been lifted.
Image: Philippine Red Cross/Handout/Anadolu Agency/IMAGO
'Rescue operations are underway'
At least 32 people died in a severe earthquake in the southern Philippines on Monday. Another 200 people were injured, and 12 remain missing. Rod Sosmena, director of Philippine civil defense agency, said the process of accounting for the victims was ongoing. Reports also suggest that people might be trapped inside a school. "Rescue operations are underway," Sosmena said.
Image: Edwin Espejo/AFP
People in panic
At 7:37 a.m. local time, the magnitude 7.8 earthquake caused buildings to collapse and sent people rushing into the streets in panic. There were also roughly 180 aftershocks. The epicenter was located on the southern island of Mindanao; the city of General Santos — home to 700,000 people — was particularly hard-hit. According to authorities, the highest number of fatalities was recorded there.
Image: Philippine Coast Guard/AFP
'We were just screaming'
Patients evacuated from a damaged hospital sit in front of a school. Many people reacted in panic to the violent tremors: "I thought it was the end for me. I just started praying," provincial reporter Noreen Ygonia told local media. A resident of the city of Koronadal told dpa news agency: "We were just screaming because we were so terrified."
Image: Stenly Pontolawokang/REUTERS
Tsunami warnings lifted
The US Tsunami Warning Center had warned of waves up to 3 meters high, but lifted the warning later on Monday. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recorded waves of up to 1.4 meters in six coastal areas. Warnings regarding potential tsunamis were also issued for Indonesia and Japan.
Image: Soccsksargen LGU/Xinhua/picture alliance
Disaster on first day of school
The earthquake struck the Philippines on the first day of the new school year, causing the roof of Matanao National High School to collapse. "Thank God we were having our flag-raising ceremony and everyone was outside," Principal Elene Marie Jane Gamboa told the news agency dpa. The building had already been damaged in a 2019 earthquake and was slated for demolition.
Image: Manman Dejeto/REUTERS
Completely collapsed
Meanwhile, the Philippine disaster management agency received reports of damage to schools, hospitals, shopping malls and churches. Several buildings on Mindanao — such as this one in General Santos City — partially or completely collapsed. The city's airport was temporarily closed.
Image: GenSan DEV/Handout/REUTERS
Dangerous territory
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced rapid relief measures, and declared that the government would not abandon Mindanao. The Philippines and Indonesia lie along the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a highly seismically active zone. Powerful earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur there with particular frequency because several tectonic plates meet in the region.
Image: Philippine Red Cross/AP Photo/picture alliance
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At least 32 killed, over 200 injured
According to officials from the disaster agency, the death toll from the earthquake has reached at least 32, while more than 200 people were injured. A number of people are also missing.
General Santos, a port city in the south of Mindanao with a population of over 700,000 and a hub for tuna exports and other commerce, was among the areas hit hardest by the earthquake.
"Many buildings were affected, but I cannot enumerate them now because we are busy with ongoing rescues," Master Sergeant Robert Dagon of the General Santos City police told the AFP news agency.
The earthquake damaged buildings in the south of the PhilippinesImage: Ernesto Torres Jr/AP Photo/picture alliance
"A number of buildings collapsed. Some houses also collapsed."
The quake struck 24.7 kilometers (15.3 miles) west-southwest of the Philippine town of Burias at a depth of 35 kilometers (22 miles), according to the US Geological Survey.
