Powerful 7.8-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Southern Philippines, Triggers Tsunami Alerts

A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippines early Monday, killing at least one person, damaging buildings in a major coastal city, knocking out power and triggering tsunami warnings across parts of Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

The quake struck at 7:37 a.m. local time, with its epicentre located about 13 kilometres southwest of General Santos City at a depth of 10 kilometres, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Authorities reported widespread damage in General Santos, a coastal commercial hub of more than 700,000 people on the island of Mindanao that is known for its tuna-processing industry. Videos shared on social media showed a shopping centre housing a Jollibee restaurant collapsing into rubble, while a building on a local school campus also crumpled.

“Many buildings were affected, but I cannot enumerate them now because we are busy with ongoing rescues,” General Santos police officer Master Sergeant Robert Dagon told AFP, confirming one death and four injuries. He said several homes were also damaged.

In neighbouring Sarangani province, Alabel police chief Benjie Ancheta said cracks appeared in the local police headquarters immediately after the quake struck during a flag-raising ceremony.

“This is the strongest earthquake we’ve experienced,” Ancheta told Reuters, adding that some residents fainted during the powerful tremor.

Tsunami warnings and evacuations

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) warned that tsunami waves of up to three metres could hit some Philippine coastlines, while waves of up to one metre were possible in parts of Indonesia and Malaysia.

Phivolcs chief Teresito Bacolcol urged residents in coastal areas to move to higher ground or further inland as a precaution.

Indonesia also ordered evacuations in vulnerable northern regions. Authorities instructed residents in Manado, Gorontalo province and the Sangihe Islands to move to safer locations amid the tsunami threat.

“The public is urged not to panic, to prioritise the safety of vulnerable groups such as the elderly, people with disabilities and children, and to always comply with official instructions,” Indonesian disaster agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said.

Residents in northern Indonesia reported strong shaking, while tsunami waves measuring up to 18 centimetres were recorded along parts of North Sulawesi and North Maluku. Indonesia’s BMKG agency estimated the earthquake’s magnitude at 7.7.

Pacific Ring of Fire

The Philippines and Indonesia sit along the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the world’s most seismically active regions where several tectonic plates converge.

Smaller sea-level fluctuations were also possible in Taiwan, Japan, Guam, Papua New Guinea and several Pacific island nations, though the PTWC said there was no tsunami threat to Hawaii.

The Philippines is among the world’s most disaster-prone nations, regularly experiencing earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and powerful tropical storms because of its location along major tectonic fault lines and within the western Pacific typhoon belt.