Magnitude 7.8 quake rocks southern Philippines, killing at least 19

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake slammed the southern Philippines Wednesday evening, leaving at least 19 people dead and scores injured as buildings crumbled and roads split open. The quake’s epicenter was 85 miles northeast of General Santos City, triggering a tsunami alert that forced thousands along the coast to evacuate. Rescuers with the Philippine Red Cross and local disaster agencies clawed through rubble in Davao Region overnight, where power outages have crippled communication.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) measured the quake at 9:14 p.m. local time, with aftershocks as high as 6.2 rattling nerves and complicating rescue efforts. In Sarangani Province, a landslide buried a rural village, trapping an unknown number of residents. Local hospitals in General Santos and Koronadal City reported overflowing emergency rooms, with at least 47 people treated for crush injuries and fractures.

President Bongbong Marcos cut short a diplomatic visit to Brunei and declared a state of calamity in the hardest-hit provinces, unlocking emergency funds. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) pledged $2 million in immediate aid, while the Philippine government allocated £4.2 million for temporary shelter and medical supplies.

Residents described the shaking as violent and prolonged, with some reporting that entire neighborhoods swayed for more than a minute. The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed the quake’s depth at 68 kilometers, reducing—but not eliminating—the risk of a devastating tsunami. Coastal barangays were ordered to relocate inland, but many ignored warnings due to the late hour.

By dawn Thursday, the death toll had climbed from an initial 11 as search teams reached previously inaccessible areas. Authorities warned that communication blackouts could delay further updates, urging relatives to avoid calling emergency lines unless absolutely necessary. The military has set up field hospitals in Davao and General Santos, while international aid agencies prepare to deploy medical teams.

Geologists from Phivolcs cautioned that the region remains at high risk for aftershocks, some potentially exceeding 6.0. Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has begun distributing food packs and bottled water to displaced families. In General Santos, a makeshift morgue was set up at the city gymnasium to handle the surge in fatalities.

Relief operations are expected to intensify over the weekend as additional supplies arrive by air and sea. The Philippine Coast Guard has suspended all non-emergency vessel traffic along the coast to clear debris and prevent further accidents. With the death toll likely to climb and infrastructure crippled, the disaster has underscored the vulnerability of southern Mindanao’s growing urban centers to seismic risks.