A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the southern Philippines on June 8, killing at least 55 people, injuring more than 1,100, and displacing roughly 20,000 from their homes. Four days later, the aftershocks still haven’t stopped.
The epicenter was about 32 kilometers offshore of Maasim, Sarangani, in the Mindanao region, at a depth of 33 kilometers. It hit at 7:37 a.m. local time, when most people were already awake and outside, a timing detail that disaster experts say made evacuation faster.
What residents experienced
The shaking was unlike anything most people in the area had felt before. Jojo Calma, 44, had just been driving past a building when it collapsed around him.
“It was the first time I experienced something that strong, that I really couldn’t stop myself from tearing up. I thought about my children and my niece. What if something had happened to them?”, Jojo Calma, survivor, per CNBC
Tricycle driver Jayson Manarca described the chaos in the hours after:
“When I got home, there was no electricity and water. We are all affected, we don’t have anything to drink.”, Jayson Manarca, General Santos City
School principal Rosavel Cachuela put it simply:
“Their excitement on the first day of school turned to trauma.”, Rosavel Cachuela
The earthquake struck four days into the new school term.
The scale of destruction
More than 18,600 homes were damaged or destroyed across the worst-hit provinces. At least 3,100 are total losses. The damage extended to 145 public buildings, including 12 hospitals and 89 schools. General Santos City, the region’s largest urban center, with about 700,000 residents, was among the hardest hit.
Tsunami warnings went out across the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia immediately after the quake struck. Waves of roughly 1 meter were recorded along the coasts of Kiamba and Maasim in Sarangani and Kalamansig in Sultan Kudarat. Residents in coastal communities evacuated to higher ground.
Why the death toll is lower than it could have been
A 7.8 on a heavily populated island typically produces a far higher death toll. The number being reported now, 55, with 31 still missing, is grim, but it’s also notably below what this scale of event can cause. Reporters covering the aftermath have credited the Philippines’ years of investment in community earthquake drills and disaster preparedness education.
Residents knew how to evacuate. They knew not to return to damaged structures. Those habits appear to have mattered.
The rescue operation
As of June 11, nearly 2,800 search, rescue, and retrieval personnel had been deployed across Sarangani and surrounding provinces, with another 1,475 responders on standby. The effort includes teams from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the PNP, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Bureau of Fire Protection, and international search teams from Japan and Australia.
Cardinal Jose Advincula of Manila issued a statement urging prayers and material support for affected communities. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced it was coordinating direct relief operations on the ground.
The aftershocks aren’t done
PHIVOLCS has recorded more than 3,000 aftershocks since June 8, including three events at magnitude 6.0 or above. A magnitude 5.5 aftershock struck Davao Occidental as recently as June 11. Residents in damaged areas have been warned not to re-enter structurally compromised buildings.
The quake was caused by movement along the Cotabato Trench, one of Southeast Asia’s most active subduction zones. Mindanao has a history of major earthquakes, a 6.9-magnitude event in 2019 killed more than 20 people in roughly the same region.
Where things stand now
Relief operations are ongoing. Roughly 20,000 people remain displaced, and the restoration of hospital services across 12 damaged facilities is a priority. The next weeks of aftershock activity will determine when displaced residents can safely return home.
For more breaking stories from around the world, follow the Trending section. Coverage of disaster response policy lives in Politics.
