Rescue crews continued searching ruined buildings across southern Philippines a day after one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the country in half a century killed at least 37 people and displaced more than 32,000.
Only four people are officially recorded as missing in the southern provinces near where the magnitude 7.8 quake struck early on Monday. However, the Office of Civil Defence acknowledged that several collapsed and damaged structures required thorough inspections for potential survivors or further casualties.
The earthquake, centred off Mindanao, the country’s second-most populous island, also injured around 500 people.
The majority of the displaced sought refuge in emergency shelters. Many of them fled their homes fearing a tsunami and while waves up to 1.4m above tide level were measured in the Philippines, the only reported tsunami damage was to six stilted shanties in a coastal village. Smaller waves reached Indonesia, Palau, and southern Japan.
The earthquake left a trail of destruction, particularly in General Santos, a vibrant coastal city of over 700,000 people regarded as the country’s tuna capital, where at least 13 people died from collapsing buildings and falling debris.
In Sarangani province, 18 fatalities were reported, primarily due to a landslide that engulfed houses in the mountainous town of Glan, according to Rafaelito Alejandro from the Office of Civil Defence.
Additional deaths were confirmed in the southern provinces of South Cotabato and Davao Occidental as well as on Balut Island.
Initial government assessments indicated that some 2,500 houses and 117 government buildings and facilities were damaged across several provinces.
The General Santos airport was closed for the second day, leading to the cancellation of at least 63 domestic flights.
Authorities say nearly 6,000 public school buildings in the affected provinces need to be evaluated before classes can resume.
The earthquake struck on the first day of school after a two-month summer break and many of the injured were young students attending morning flag-raising ceremonies.
Authorities have since issued warnings that buildings with cracks could collapse due to aftershocks, some of which have been dangerously powerful.
“We cannot force the immediate reopening of schools because we have to ensure the integrity of the buildings,” Mr Alejandro stated.
The earthquake was centred at sea around 32km southwest of Maasim town in Sarangani province. It was triggered by movement in the Cotabato Trench and marked the strongest seismic event since the same undersea depression caused an 8.1-magnitude quake that generated tsunami waves on 17 August 1976.
Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, noted that nearly 8,000 people were killed by that earlier quake and its subsequent tsunami waves, which reached up to 10m and engulfed several towns.
The institute had planned to commemorate the 1976 earthquake’s anniversary in August by installing markers to remind vulnerable communities of the need for constant vigilance. A 1990 earthquake, also of magnitude 7.8, resulted in more than 1,000 deaths, thousands of injuries, and extensive damage in northern provinces and cities.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has sent senior defence and mitigation officials from Manila to oversee search and rescue operations, coordinate the distribution of food and construction materials to victims, and assess damage to vital infrastructure such as bridges and roads.
The US, a treaty ally of the Philippines, says it’s coordinating with Manila and stands ready to help with the response. Malaysia, France, Japan, and New Zealand have also expressed support.
The Philippines is frequently affected by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of seismic faults encircling the ocean. The archipelago is also battered by 20 typhoons and tropical storms annually, making it one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world.
