7.8 Quake Kills At Least 35 In Southern Philippines, Triggers 1-Meter Tsunami

A magnitude 7.8 offshore earthquake struck the southern Philippines on Monday, killing at least 35 people and injuring more than 200 others, while sending a 1-meter (3-foot) tsunami into nearby coasts.

The quake hit around 7:37 a.m. local time and collapsed or heavily damaged several mostly low-rise buildings in General Santos, with tsunami damage reported in at least one southern coastal village.

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In Sarangani province, the quake triggered a landslide in Glan that killed 13 villagers, and four other villagers died in Sarangani, Rene Punzalan, a provincial disaster-mitigation official, told the DZBB radio network.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr ordered the cancellation of classes and directed disaster-response agencies to immediately get to work in quake-hit provinces, saying “the national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind.”

At the same time, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the threat of a tsunami largely passed about five hours after the quake, and Philippine officials lifted a tsunami warning by mid-afternoon.

In General Santos, Rod Sosmeña, a regional director of the Office of Civil Defense, described the moment the quake struck: “Our pickup truck suddenly jerked and I thought we had a flat tire.”

Sosmeña said “The shaking was very strong and people dashed out of houses into the streets,” as emergency sirens blared in parts of the archipelago, according to CNN’s account of the quake’s impact.

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The Philippine seismology agency said as many as 138 aftershocks occurred after the initial earthquake, and authorities warned of more aftershocks near the epicenter.

In Davao Occidental, Mahayahay Elementary School posted a video showing schoolchildren screaming and crying when the offshore magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocked the southern Philippines early Monday.

The United States said it was coordinating with Manila and was ready to support Philippine response efforts, while France, Japan and New Zealand also expressed support.

Search and rescue teams worked to find people who may have been trapped in a supermarket, a warehouse, a grade school, and other small buildings that either collapsed or were severely damaged, officials said.

At least four people remained missing in General Santos, a port city of more than 700,000 people and a regional hub for the tuna export industry, as the international airport in General Santos was temporarily shut and 17 domestic flights were canceled.

The quake also triggered a landslide in Glan in the province of Sarangani, and aside from the Sarangani landslide, most of the other deaths were caused by collapsing buildings and falling debris, including in a damaged mosque, in the southern provinces of South Cotabato and Davao Occidental and on Balut Island.

The Associated Press reported that the quake was the strongest to hit the Philippines this year, while the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology director Teresito Bacolcol warned people to seek advice before returning to damaged buildings and houses that could collapse due to aftershocks.

Marcos directed disaster-response agencies to act immediately, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the threat largely passed about five hours after the quake, with Philippine officials lifting the tsunami warning by mid-afternoon.