Mindanao Earthquake Kills 19, Triggers Tsunami Alerts Across Pacific
A severe magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck off Mindanao island in the southern Philippines on Monday, 07:37 local time, claiming at least 19 lives and injuring 134 across provinces including South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and General Santos City. Initial reports indicate extensive damage, with footage showing structures, including a Jollibee restaurant, reduced to rubble.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council is currently verifying casualty figures, a process typically finalised a day after such incidents. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stated that government agencies are coordinating disaster relief efforts and ordered the suspension of classes in affected areas, coinciding with the first day of the school year.
The earthquake prompted tsunami alerts across the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, and Australia. While some alerts were later cancelled, waves of up to 1.4 metres were observed in coastal areas of the Philippines, Indonesia, and Palau, with Japan's Okinawa prefecture recording a few-centimetre wave. Over 130 aftershocks, ranging from magnitude 1.3 to 6.7, have been recorded since the initial tremor. Power and communication networks in Sarangani province were temporarily disrupted before being restored.
The Philippines is situated on the seismically active 'Ring of Fire', making earthquakes a frequent occurrence. Last September, a magnitude-6.9 earthquake in the central Visayas region killed over 70 people, underscoring the constant threat posed by the region's geological instability.
