At least 1 dead, tsunami warnings issued after 7.8 magnitude earthquake in southern Philippines

7.8 magnitude earthquake in southern Philippines resulted in at least one death

A magnitude 7.8 offshore earthquake struck the Philippines on Monday (8 June) morning, killing at least one person and injuring four others.

The quake occurred at 7.37am local time at a depth of 33 km, 32km southwest of Maasim town in Sarangani province on Mindanao island.

General Santos police confirmed that one person was killed and “lots of buildings around the city, including a school and some houses, collapsed”.

Online footage captures shopping mall collapsing in General Santos City

Videos circulating on Facebook captured the moment a shopping mall housing a Jollibee fast-food outlet collapsed into rubble in General Santos City.

In a separate incident within the same province, another video showed a building on a local school campus collapsing.

Phivolcs warned of tsunami for nine coastal provinces

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) issued a tsunami warning for nine coastal provinces:

• Sarangani
• Davao Occidental
• Tawi-Tawi
• Sulu
• Basilan
• Zamboanga del Sur
• Zamboanga Sibugay
• Sultan Kudarat
• South Cotabato

It added that wave heights of “more than one meter above the normal tides” were expected.

Residents in these areas were advised to evacuate to higher ground or move further inland as a precaution.

First waves are expected to arrive on the morning of 8 June and may continue for several hours.

“Owners of boats in harbours, estuaries, or shallow coastal water of the abovementioned provinces should secure their boats and move away from the waterfront. Boats already at sea during this period should stay offshore in deep waters until further advised,” added Phivolcs.

Affected areas suspend school classes

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced an indefinite suspension of classes across all levels in affected areas of Mindanao.

The suspension coincides with the nationwide reopening of public schools, which had been scheduled for 8 June.

Ground shaking felt in several other areas

While General Santos City felt the brunt of the quake at Intensity 7 (Destructive), the ground shaking was also felt in other areas:

• Intensity 6 (very strong) — Palimbang and Sen. Ninoy Aquino in Sultan Kudarat.
• Intensity 5 (strong) — Davao City; Kidapawan and Carmen in Cotabato; Bagumbayan, Kalamansig and President Quirino in Sultan Kudarat; and Sibuco and Siocon in Zamboanga del Norte.
• Intensity 4 (moderately strong) — Mati City in Davao Oriental; Buug in Zamboanga Sibugay; and Caraga, Manay and Tarragona in Davao Oriental.

Country lies along Pacific Ring of Fire

The Philippines lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a zone of major tectonic plate boundaries.

This makes it prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Both Japan and neighbouring Indonesia also issued tsunami warnings, as reported by Nikkei Asia and Cebu Daily News.

Also read: 5.9-magnitude earthquake strikes near Okinawa, residents warned of strong quakes over next few days

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Featured image adapted from Isabelino Ako on Facebook.