A powerful earthquake has struck the Philippines, killing at least 15 people, flattening buildings, and triggering widespread tsunami alerts across parts of Asia.
The magnitude 7.8 quake hit offshore near the island of Mindanao just before 7:40am local time on Monday (23:40 GMT Sunday), according to the United States Geological Survey. It was followed by more than an hour of aftershocks, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said.
One of the worst-hit areas was General Santos City, a densely populated urban centre in southern Mindanao, home to more than 700,000 residents. Authorities said the city experienced what they classified as a “very strong” intensity 7 out of 10 shaking on the national scale.
Scenes of destruction quickly emerged, including video showing a three-storey building housing a Jollibee restaurant collapsing in a cloud of dust and debris as shocked onlookers fled. Other images showed shattered windows, damaged structures, and roofs caved in across parts of the city.
Police spokesperson Master Sergeant Robert Dagun told a local radio station that sections of St. Elizabeth Hospital were heavily damaged, forcing the evacuation of patients and medical staff, who continued treatment outside the main facility.
Eyewitnesses described chaotic conditions as the quake struck. Mary Ann Blanco Rhudy, a Catholic nun at Notre Dame of Dadiangas University, said she was on her way to the institution when the tremor hit.
“The cars on the road were moving erratically. I am lucky that they didn’t crash against each other,” she told Al Jazeera, adding that “the trees on the side of the road were also swaying violently.”
She said parts of the university sustained partial structural collapse.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said emergency response agencies, including the Office of Civil Defence and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, had been mobilised. He also ordered the suspension of classes in affected areas.
According to the Philippine News Agency, about 3.2 million students and 128,000 teachers and education staff were impacted as the quake struck on what was meant to be the first day of the school term.
“The safety of our children comes first,” Marcos said.
Tsunami warnings were issued across several countries in the region, including the Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan, prompting evacuations in coastal and low-lying areas.
Philippine authorities urged residents in at least nine provinces — including Sarangani, Davao Occidental, Tawi-Tawi, and Sulu — to move immediately to higher ground. Boat owners in coastal zones were also advised to secure vessels and evacuate shorelines.
“Please heed the tsunami warning. Move to higher ground now. Do not wait. Your life is more important than anything left behind,” Marcos said.
The US-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially warned that waves of up to 3 metres could strike parts of the Philippines, while smaller waves were possible in Indonesia and Malaysia. Later, it said the immediate tsunami threat had largely passed, though coastal vigilance was still required.
Indonesia’s Northern Sulawesi recorded waves of up to 0.83 metres, according to the warning centre, while tsunami alerts in several regions, including Gorontalo and the Sangihe Islands, were later lifted. Similar warnings in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands were also cancelled.
In Japan, a tsunami advisory remained in effect for southern coastal regions and remote islands, with residents urged to stay away from beaches, river mouths, and low-lying areas until further notice.
By midday, regional authorities said the worst of the tsunami risk had eased, but emergency agencies continued to monitor aftershocks and coastal conditions across the Pacific rim.
