A strong magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Monday, prompting officials to issue tsunami warnings. There were no immediate reports of deaths or major damage.
Tsunami warnings and evacuations
Tsunami warnings were issued in the Philippines, neighboring Indonesia, and by the US Tsunami Warning System. Coastal residents were advised to move to higher ground. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned of tsunami waves exceeding one meter that could persist for several hours. Indonesia's geophysics agency BKMG reported waves of 0.19 meters detected so far.
In the Philippines' Sarangani province near the epicenter, power and telecommunications were down, and school classes were suspended, according to local disaster chief Rene Punzalan. He added that a damage assessment was underway with no reports of collapsed buildings yet.
Impact and aftershocks
DZBB radio in General Santos City, about 15 km from the epicenter, reported falling furniture and damage to televisions and other appliances as aftershocks continued. Many residents left their homes to seek safety. The General Santos disaster office confirmed aftershocks and said authorities were assessing reports of damage and some injuries.
Benjie Ancheta, police chief of Alabel town in Sarangani, said the police building sustained cracks after the quake, which struck during their flag-raising ceremony, causing some people to faint. "This is the strongest earthquake we've experienced," Ancheta told Reuters.
Regional response
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stated that authorities were moving quickly to coordinate disaster response. "The national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind," Marcos said in a statement.
In Indonesia, witnesses in the northern city of Manado reported feeling the quake strongly, but a spokesperson for the disaster mitigation agency said there were no reports of damage so far.
Geological context
The German Research Centre for Geosciences reported the quake's magnitude as 7.8 at a depth of 10 km, while earlier estimates varied. The Philippines and Indonesia, located on the tectonically complex "Pacific Ring of Fire," experience hundreds of earthquakes each year.
Arlene Hollero, disaster chief of Maasim town in Sarangani, said evacuations were underway in coastal villages, with no casualties reported so far. She noted that water receded after the quake but seas were normal, though a bridge sustained cracks and a shrine with a large cross collapsed. "It's devastating," Hollero told Reuters.
