A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake in the Philippines, killing at least 19 people, triggered a 1.4-meter-high tsunami.

A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the southern coast of the Philippines on June 8th. A tsunami with waves reaching 1.4 meters in height was generated. At least 19 people died and more than 200 were injured.

At least 19 people have died, and thousands have been evacuated.

According to AP, Junie Castillo, spokesperson for the Civil Defense Office, said at least 19 people were killed and more than 200 others injured, and thousands of villagers were evacuated after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Philippines on June 8.

Authorities are also verifying reports that some students may be trapped in a collapsed two-story school building in General Santos, according to the Director of the Civil Defense Office, Rod Sosmeña.

At least 12 people have been reported missing in this city.

General Santos International Airport Closed

The Philippine Civil Aviation Authority announced that the international airport in General Santos has been temporarily closed and 17 domestic flights have been canceled.

Teresito Bacolcol, Director of the Seismological Institute, said that tsunami waves approximately 1 meter high were recorded in the Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani provinces. At one point, a wave reaching 1.4 meters was observed near the coast of Kiamba town in Sarangani province.

However, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center assessed that the tsunami threat had generally passed about five hours after the earthquake occurred. Philippine authorities also lifted the warning in the early afternoon of the same day.

In Zamboanga del Sur province, large waves combined with an earthquake damaged six homes in a coastal village.

At least 15 people died and more than 129 were injured.

According to the Philippine disaster management agency, the death toll from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck southern Philippines on June 8 has risen to at least 15, with more than 129 injured.

Rodrigo Sosmena, Director of the Mindanao Civil Defense Office, said that in the Socksargen area of the island alone, 12 people have died and 129 have been injured.

Meanwhile, Davao Occidental province also reported three additional deaths.

Philippines recorded tsunami waves 1.4m high.

The Philippine Seismological Bureau reported that it recorded tsunami waves of varying heights at six monitoring stations, with the highest reaching 1.4 meters.

The Philippine Bureau of Information advised residents living in coastal areas of the nine affected provinces in Mindanao to evacuate immediately to higher, safer ground.

According to CNA, the list of these localities includes Sarangani, Davao Occidental, Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Basilan, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Sultan Kudarat, and South Cotabato.

Philippine police have reported at least three deaths and four injuries following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the earthquake occurred at 7:37 a.m. on June 8 (local time).

According to AFP, citing the US Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred at a depth of 35km, about 24km west of Sarangani province on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines , on the morning of June 8.

Local police have updated their report that the powerful earthquake has killed at least one person and injured four others, while also causing several buildings to collapse.

“Many buildings have been affected, but we cannot give a specific number at this time as we are still carrying out rescue operations,” Robert Dagon, a representative of the General Santos city police force, told AFP.

Videos posted on Facebook showed a shopping mall with a Jollibee fast-food restaurant in General Santos City on the island collapsing. A building on the grounds of a local school also collapsed in another video.

In one video clip, someone can be heard shouting, “Oh my God, it’s really collapsed! The building has actually fallen down!”

In Davao City on Mindanao Island, a disaster response official said authorities are monitoring the situation and will provide updates on social media.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said authorities are urgently coordinating a disaster response.

“The central government is taking action, and we will not abandon Mindanao,” Marcos said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned that a tsunami could occur “within the next three hours” along the coastal areas of the Philippines, Indonesia, Palau, Taiwan, and Papua New Guinea.

Japanese authorities also issued tsunami warnings for many areas along the country’s Pacific coast, predicting waves up to 1 meter high could hit various locations from around 11:30 a.m. local time on June 8.

Meanwhile, Indonesia has ordered the evacuation of residents in northern areas of the country due to fears of a tsunami following the earthquake.

Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency said officials in high-risk areas, including Manado City – the capital of North Sulawesi province, Gorontalo province, and the Sangihe archipelago, were instructed to “immediately guide residents to evacuate in an orderly manner to higher ground.”

A 6.1 magnitude aftershock struck southern Philippines.

At 9:05 AM on June 8th (Vietnam time), AFP reported that the US Geological Survey said a strong 6.1 magnitude aftershock shook southern Philippines, just hours after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake triggered tsunami warnings in the region.

The USGS said the second earthquake occurred at a depth of 67 km, about 8 km north-northwest of Sarangani province on Mindanao island.

Earthquakes occur frequently in the Philippines, a country located on the Pacific Ring of Fire – an area of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia to the entire Pacific basin.