At least 19 people have lost their lives following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the open Richter scale registered this Monday on the island of Mindanao, in the south of the Philippines. Authorities have also confirmed the activation of a tsunami alert in several coastal areas.
The Philippine Civil Defense stated in a statement disseminated on social media that, for now, at least nineteen deceased, 134 injured, twelve missing, and nearly 10,000 affected in the areas hit by the earthquake are accounted for.
The agency has warned that the victim toll could increase as search and rescue operations progress in the most damaged areas. Most of the deceased are concentrated in the regions of Soccksargen, with 16 dead and 129 injured, and Dávao, where 3 deceased and five injured have been confirmed.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has detailed that the epicenter of the tremor has been located about 32 kilometers west of Maasim, in the province of Sarangani, and has specified that the hypocenter was located about 33 kilometers deep. Around 140 aftershocks have been registered since the first tremor.
Likewise, the agency has indicated that waves of up to one meter in height have been observed on the coasts of Kiamba, Maasim, and Kudarat, and less than one meter in Mati and Zamboanga. For this reason, an alert remains active due to the possibility of a destructive tsunami in several parts of the south of the country.
Robert Dagon, from the Police of the city of General Santos, has confirmed that "several buildings have collapsed" as a consequence of the earthquake, according to the Philippine newspaper 'Inquirer', while videos circulating on social media show the collapse of buildings and restaurants in the town.
From the Philippine Presidency, they have insisted that the Executive has financial resources to face the emergency. "The available funds are sufficient for rescue and recovery operations, with the aim of minimizing the impact of the disaster," stated the spokesperson for the Presidency, Claire Castro.
The strong earthquake also led the authorities of Japan and Indonesia to issue tsunami warnings due to the possible arrival of waves on their coastlines, although both alerts were canceled shortly after as a greater risk was ruled out.
The Philippines is located in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of intense seismic and volcanic activity where about 90% of the planet's earthquakes occur. In September 2025, around 70 people died and about 150 were injured after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake on the open Richter scale on the island of Cebu, in the central part of the archipelago.