Deadly Quake Sparks Regional Alerts
Powerful Earthquake Off Southern Philippines Triggers Tsunami Alerts, Mass Evacuations, and Deaths
A strong earthquake off the southern Philippines prompted tsunami alerts and mass evacuations across multiple countries in the region, with authorities warning that dangerous waves could reach low-lying coasts within hours. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos suspended classes and urged residents to move to higher ground, including in Kiamba where nearly 80% of the town’s estimated 50,000 people evacuated and emergency shelters were opened. Images and accounts verified by AFP described widespread damage in General Santos City and injuries and deaths attributed to collapsing structures, while officials cautioned that casualty figures could rise as searches continued. The US Geological Survey reported a sequence of powerful aftershocks, with the largest reaching magnitude 6.5. Indonesia later lifted its tsunami warning after monitoring showed sea levels had returned to normal, though Japan issued advisories for parts of its Pacific coast and regional authorities continued to watch coastal conditions. In addition, foreign missions such as Cambodia’s embassy urged their citizens to follow official guidance as aftershocks and ongoing alerts created a heightened risk for coastal communities.
Key Points
Philippine authorities temporarily shut down the airport in General Santos City while engineers and safety officials inspected runways, terminal buildings and other infrastructure before resuming operations.
AFP-verified reporting described specific damage and scenes in General Santos City, including a shopping centre with a Jollibee fast-food restaurant reduced to rubble and a separate school building that officials said was unoccupied when it crumpled; AFP also reported a police account that two people were crushed to death by a collapsing wall in Alabel.
Indonesia’s meteorology agency BMKG said it lifted the tsunami warning only after observations showed sea-level conditions had returned to normal, and it had earlier detected minor tsunami waves at several northern coastal monitoring stations.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported that the highest wave recorded reached 1.4 metres and that it had issued tsunami warnings to nine coastal provinces, advising residents to evacuate to higher ground or farther inland.
Japanese seismologists gave a different magnitude estimate—8.2—for the offshore quake recorded at 8:38 a.m. local time, and said Japan’s first possible tsunami waves could arrive at around 11:00 a.m. Japanese time.
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