At least 32 dead in 7,8-magnitude earthquake in Philippines

At least 32 people were killed and more than 200 injured, mostly in damaged buildings, in a 7,8-magnitude earthquake that struck the southern Philippines this morning, officials said.

The earthquake also triggered a one-meter-high tsunami, which hit the surrounding coasts.

Several buildings were destroyed and key infrastructure was damaged in the quake in the city of General Santos, and tsunami damage was reported in at least one coastal village. Smaller waves were measured in Indonesia and Palau and as far south as Japan.

This is a major earthquake, said Teresito Bakolkol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, who warned people to seek advice before returning to damaged buildings and houses that could collapse due to aftershocks.

This earthquake, the strongest to hit the Philippines in 2026, had an epicenter in the sea, off the island of Mindanao, at a depth of 33 kilometers, about 32 kilometers southwest of the town of Masima in Srangani province, Bakolkol said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the tsunami threat had largely passed about five hours after the earthquake, which struck at 7:37 a.m. local time, but urged people to follow local authorities' instructions as sea levels could fluctuate for the next few hours.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said disaster response agencies were ready, and said the central government was acting and would not abandon Mindanao.