At least 33 people have died after the most powerful earthquake of the year struck the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, causing massive infrastructure damage and widespread panic among students.
Casualties and Devastation
At least 17 people died in Sarangani province, with 13 fatalities in the city of Glan following a mudslide that buried homes. An additional three deaths were confirmed in Davao-Occidental. Independent portal Rappler reports 12 people are missing and 134 have sustained injuries.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the quake at 7:37 a.m. local time, centered 13 km southwest of General Santos. The tremor, the strongest in the country this year, severely impacted the city, a major tuna processing and trade hub.
Panic During School Opening
The earthquake struck on the first day of the school year, causing widespread collapse of residential, commercial, and educational buildings. Footage from Davao del Sur shows students fleeing as a school canopy collapsed, while the Notre Dame of Dadiangas University building in General Santos also fell, though reports indicate it was empty at the time.
General Santos international airport has reopened, but is restricted to humanitarian and government flights only, with 17 departures and arrivals canceled since the morning.
Seismic Aftermath and Tsunami Warnings
The main tremor was followed by over a dozen powerful aftershocks, with magnitudes reaching 6.5 to 6.7, severely hindering ongoing rescue operations. Philippine agency Phivolcs and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) eventually lifted tsunami alerts for the southern Philippines and neighboring countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, and Japan. Recorded sea-level disturbances, ranging from 20 cm in Japan to 75 cm in Indonesia, caused no significant damage.
The Pacific Ring of Fire
The Philippines and Indonesia are located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region prone to frequent seismic and volcanic activity containing 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes. The last major earthquake in the Philippines occurred on September 30 of last year, when a 6.9 magnitude tremor struck Cebu province, leaving at least 72 dead and 500 injured.
