Manila: A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippines on Monday, killing at least four persons and leaving more than 200 others injured, officials said. The quake also toppled many buildings and prompted tsunami warnings across the region, agencies reported.
The United States Geological Survey recorded the quake roughly 24 kilometres west of Sarangani province on Mindanao island. Philippine and Indonesian officials urged immediate evacuation of coastal areas after the offshore tremor, warning tsunami waves were possible.
Local authorities reported one confirmed death and four injured in initial tallies. Master Sergeant Robert Dagon of the General Santos City police told AFP that rescue operations were underway and that “this is only an initial report,” noting many buildings had been affected and some had collapsed.
Video verified by AFP showed a shopping centre housing a Jollibee fast-food outlet collapsing to rubble in General Santos City, and footage from a school campus showed a separate building crumpling. In one clip, a bystander cried out that a structure “has really collapsed.”
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre cautioned that tsunami waves could occur “within the next three hours” along coastlines in the Philippines, Indonesia, Palau, Taiwan and Papua New Guinea, prompting authorities across the region to act.
‘Move To Higher Ground Now’
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos ordered classes suspended in affected Mindanao areas and pleaded with coastal residents to evacuate immediately, saying, “Move to higher ground now. Do not wait,” and stressing that “your life is more important than anything left behind.”
Indonesia’s national disaster agency told officials in North Sulawesi’s capital Manado, northern Gorontalo province and the Sangihe islands to “immediately direct their residents to evacuate in an orderly manner to higher ground,” as a precautionary measure.
Japan Issues Tsunami Advisory
Japan also issued a tsunami advisory for parts of its Pacific coast, forecasting waves up to one metre (three feet) in several regions from about 11:30 a.m. local time.
In Davao City, local disaster officials said they were monitoring conditions and would post updates on social media as the situation evolved.
The Philippines sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a zone of intense seismic activity that produces frequent quakes. Eastern Mindanao experienced powerful tremors in October — magnitudes 7.4 and 6.7 — that killed at least eight people. Those events came after a magnitude 6.9 quake days earlier that authorities said killed 76 people and damaged or destroyed about 72,000 buildings in Cebu province.
