Magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes southern Philippines, killing one and triggering Pacific tsunami alerts

The main shock

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook the Mindanao region in the southern Philippines at 7:37 a.m. local time on Monday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The epicenter was located 24.7 kilometers west-southwest of Burias, at a depth of 35 kilometers. The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) initially reported the quake at magnitude 8.2 before revising it, and placed the depth at 10 kilometers.

Casualties and damage

Police in General Santos City reported at least one person dead and four injured. Multiple buildings collapsed in the city, a major urban center on the island of Mindanao.

A number of buildings collapsed. Some houses also collapsed.

Sergeant Major Dagon said rescue operations were ongoing and a full damage assessment was not yet available.

Tsunami threat across the Pacific

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) issued a tsunami alert, warning that waves were possible within three hours along the coasts of the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, and as far as Japan. The PTWC forecast waves of 1 to 3 meters above tide level for Philippine coasts and 0.3 to 1 meter for Indonesia and Malaysia. The Japanese government issued its own tsunami advisory for the Pacific coast, from the southern islands of Okinawa up to the east of Tokyo, with waves of up to one meter expected. Authorities in Kochi, southeastern Japan, called for the evacuation of coastal areas.

Evacuations in Indonesia

Indonesia ordered evacuations in northern parts of its archipelago. The affected zones include Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi, the northern part of Gorontalo province, and the Sangihe Islands. The tremor was felt weakly in those areas for two to three seconds.

The population is asked not to panic, to prioritize the safety of vulnerable groups.

Spokesperson Abdul Muhari described the situation on the ground as safe, calm, and under control.

Aftershock recorded

A magnitude 6.1 aftershock was felt in the southern Philippines hours later, the USGS reported. It occurred at sea at a depth of 67 kilometers, about eight kilometers off the coast of Sarangani province on Mindanao.

Seismic context

The Philippines and Indonesia both sit on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of seismic faults around the ocean that makes them among the world's most disaster-prone countries. The Philippine archipelago experiences frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and is also hit by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year.