At least 19 people were killed, 134 injured, and 12 reported missing after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off Sarangani province on Monday morning, June 8, devastating parts of Mindanao and triggering a tsunami warning across the southern Philippines.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the tectonic quake struck at 7:37 a.m., with its epicenter located about 32 kilometers southwest of Maasim, Sarangani, at a depth of 33 kilometers. The agency initially recorded the tremor at magnitude 7.0 before upgrading it to 7.8. Phivolcs traced the quake to movement along the Cotabato Trench, a fault line cutting through the Celebes Sea parallel to Mindanao’s southwestern coast.
In a report issued around 4 p.m., the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said 16 of the deaths were recorded in Soccsksargen (Region XII) and three in the Davao Region (Region XI). Of the Soccsksargen fatalities, 10 were from General Santos City, three from Glan, two from Tupi, and one from Malapatan. The council said 129 of the injured were in Soccsksargen and five in Davao, with all 12 missing persons reported in General Santos City, cautioning that the figures were still being validated.
Office of Civil Defense spokesperson Junie Castillo said most deaths were caused by debris falling from damaged structures, though authorities were still verifying how many were linked to a reported landslide in South Cotabato. Some international outlets, including NPR and CBC, cited local officials reporting a higher toll of around 32, largely attributed to a landslide that buried homes in the mountainous town of Glan — figures not yet reflected in the NDRRMC’s official count.
Phivolcs confirmed tsunami waves of roughly one meter along the coasts of Kiamba and Maasim in Sarangani and Kalamansig in Sultan Kudarat, with smaller waves recorded in Mati City and Zamboanga City. Tsunami warnings were also raised in Indonesia, Palau, Taiwan, and Papua New Guinea.
The Department of Public Works and Highways estimated property damage in General Santos City alone at P1 billion, while the Department of Education said more than 3.2 million students and over 128,000 teachers and personnel across five regions were affected. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the suspension of classes and a swift government response, and the Department of Budget and Management said Quick Response Fund resources remain available for immediate deployment. Phivolcs warned that aftershocks could persist for several days to weeks.
