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MANILA, Philippines (AP) — An offshore magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocked the southern Philippines Monday, leaving at least 12 people dead, injuring more
than 200 others mostly in damaged buildings and sparking a 1-meter (3-foot) tsunami along nearby coasts, officials said. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center stated that the threat of a tsunami had largely passed about five hours after the quake struck the southern region of Mindanao. Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, reported no damage or casualties from the tsunami.
“It’s a major earthquake and we’re expecting damage and we’ve already seen some damaged buildings based on videos we’ve received,” Bacolcol told The Associated Press.The strongest quake to strike the Philippines this year was centered at sea at a depth of 33 kilometers (20 miles), approximately 32 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of Maasim town in Sarangani province, according to the Philippine Institute.
General Santos, a southern port city of more than 700,000 people and a hub for the tuna export industry, was among the hardest hit.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stated, 'The national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind.'
Numerous aftershocks followed the 7:37 a.m. quake, which was also felt in Malaysia. Smaller tsunami waves were detected in Indonesia and Malaysia.
At least seven people were killed and about 130 others injured in General Santos, where several small buildings partially collapsed and key infrastructure, including an access bridge, sustained dangerous cracks, Rod Sosmeña, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense, reported.
Five additional fatalities occurred in the southern provinces of South Cotabato and Davao Occidental, as well as on Balut Island, according to Sosmeña and Ednar Dayanghirang, another official.
Sosmeña indicated that authorities were checking reports of students trapped in a two-story school that collapsed in General Santos, with the national police confirming at least seven people were missing in the area.
Public schools had reopened nationwide Monday after the summer break. Dayanghirang mentioned that more than 100 students attending morning flag-raising ceremonies sustained bruises and some fainted in panic.
The international airport in General Santos temporarily closed, leading to the cancellation of 17 domestic flights, according to civil aviation officials.
“Our pickup truck suddenly jerked and I thought we had a flat tire,” Sosmeña recalled. “People dashed out of houses into the streets.”
Dayanghirang described his experience, stating he could “hardly stand and keep my balance when the ground shook as I was leaving my house” in Davao.
DZRH radio in Manila reported that a small commercial building housing its provincial station partially collapsed, but staff members evacuated to the ground floor without injuries. It remains unclear if others were trapped in the rubble of the four-story office building. Debris also fell from other structures, impacting parked tricycle taxis below.
Waves of 1 meter (3 feet) were recorded in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani.
Malaysia’s Meteorological Department issued a tsunami warning for Sabah state on Borneo island, which is a short boat ride from the southern Philippines. An 83-centimeter (2.7-feet) tsunami was measured off Indonesia's Sulawesi island.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported the original quake's depth at 55 kilometers (34 miles). Variations in measurements by different agencies are common immediately following an earthquake.
The Philippines, situated on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire,' is one of the world's most disaster-prone countries, frequently experiencing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The archipelago also endures about 20 typhoons and tropical storms annually.
