7.8-magnitude earthquake off southern Philippines triggers tsunami warnings regionally
June 8 2026 by Joana Nguyen
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Mindanao in the southern Philippines around 7:37am local time on Monday, triggering tsunami warnings in the country and neighbouring Japan, Taiwan and Indonesia, as well as collapsing some houses and buildings and killing at least one person four injured, according to media reports.
The earthquake, which is the strongest in 10 years, struck at a depth of approximately 35 kilometres, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Tsunami waves could reach 1 to 3 meters above the tide level in parts of the Philippines, according to the US Tsunami Warning System.
Hazardous tsunami waves are possible within the next three hours along some coasts of Indonesia, Philippines, Palau, Taiwan and Papua New Guinea, Bloomberg reported, citing the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
“Many buildings were affected, but I cannot enumerate them now because we are busy with ongoing rescues,” Master Sergeant Robert Dagon of the General Santos City police told AFP.
“A number of buildings collapsed. Some houses also collapsed.”
The earthquake caused widespread damage across southern Philippines, with buildings collapsing in General Santos, including commercial and educational structures. There were reports of damage to the airport in General Santos.
Utilities, including electricity, water and internet services, were disrupted, while a school building collapsed in Matanao, though no injuries were reported, while a shrine and bridge sustained damage in Maasim.
In Davao City, a high-rise condominium and a footbridge were damaged, with authorities reporting no casualties and several people evacuated.
DZRH, a radio station in Manila, reported that the small commercial building where its Davao branch was located partly collapsed.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos suspended school classes in affected areas of Mindanao while calling on residents in coastal areas to evacuate immediately, according to an AFP report.
“Move to higher ground now. Do not wait,” he said. “Your life is more important than anything left behind.”
Indonesia’s national disaster agency has instructed officials in the North Sulawesi capital, Manado, northern Gorontalo province and the Sangihe islands “to immediately direct their residents to evacuate in an orderly manner to higher ground”.
Japanese authorities separately issued a tsunami advisory for swathes of its Pacific coast, projecting waves of up to one metre (three feet) to hit different regions from 11:30am local time.
A 7.4 magnitude earthquake in October last year that jolted Mindanao caused several fatalities and affected over 66,000 families. The earthquakes also damaged around 713 houses, 112 of which were totally damaged. An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 had also struck Cebu in September last year, causing millions of dollars in losses.
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