M7.8 earthquake off southern Mindanao leaves at least 32 dead, Philippines

The earthquake struck at 07:37 LT on June 8 (23:27 UTC on June 7), about 20 km (12.4 miles) off Sarangani province, and was felt strongly across Mindanao.

Most of the damage was concentrated in General Santos, a city of about 700 000 people. Reuters reported damaged shops and buildings, broken signs and glass, and some structures reduced to concrete and rubble. One hospital in the city was evacuated because of cracks on higher floors, and one building at Notre Dame of Dadiangas University collapsed while empty.

AP reported collapsed buildings and key infrastructure damage in General Santos, while tsunami damage was reported in at least one coastal village. The quake also triggered a landslide in Glan, Sarangani, that killed 13 villagers, according to AP, citing provincial disaster official Rene Punzalan.

Office of Civil Defense (OCD) spokesperson Junie Castillo reported 19 deaths under verification and validation, including 16 in Soccsksargen and three in Davao Region. In Soccsksargen, 10 fatalities were reported in General Santos, three in Glan, two in Tupi, and one in Malapatan, Sarangani.

The same OCD update mentioned 134 injured, including 129 in Soccsksargen and five in Davao Region, and 12 people missing in General Santos. Castillo said some fatalities were initially reported to have been caused by collapsed structures, falling debris, and landslides.

The Department of Public Works and Highways placed the initial property damage in General Santos at about PHP 1 billion. DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said the running total covered damage to different buildings in General Santos alone, and the department said it would coordinate with local governments to identify critical buildings, conduct damage assessments, and secure structures ahead of possible aftershocks.

Around 10 000 families from Sarangani and Sultan Kudarat had been evacuated, and 700 families were affected, according to the OCD-linked GMA update. Search, rescue, and retrieval operations were ongoing.

The earthquake generated a 1 m (3 feet) tsunami, with waves monitored in Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani and a 1.4 m (4.6 feet) wave recorded at one time in Kiamba, Sarangani. An 83 cm (2.7 feet) tsunami was reported off Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, 30 cm (1 foot) waves in Palau, and waves up to 20 cm (7.8 inches) in parts of Japan.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) said the tsunami threat had largely passed about five hours after the quake, and Philippine officials lifted the warning by mid-afternoon. Six shanties on stilts were damaged in a coastal village in Zamboanga del Sur due to the quake and taller waves, officials told AP.

More than 200 aftershocks were recorded by the Philippine seismology agency, including at least nine strong events felt across Mindanao, with the strongest at M6.7.

The Department of Energy said it was consolidating reports on power lines, substations, distribution facilities, fuel depots, retail stations, and other energy infrastructure to determine whether facilities had been affected.

Teo Blašković

I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.

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