Earthquake in the Philippines / At least 32 dead

2026-06-08 15:23:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

At least 32 people have died after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Mindanao island in the southern Philippines, officials say.

The quake struck at 07:37 local time on Monday (23:37 GMT Sunday), triggering tsunami warnings in the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and Australia. Some of these were cancelled hours later.

Videos and images showed buildings collapsing, including a clip of a Jollibee fast food restaurant reduced to rubble, while landslides were also recorded in some areas.

More than 100 people have been injured in several provinces, almost two dozen others are missing and 10,000 residents have been evacuated in advance, authorities said.

Mindanao is the second largest island in the Philippines - both in size and population - and is home to about 26 million people.

Casualty figures still need to be verified by the national disaster agency, which tabulates and verifies reports from various local sources and is expected to provide an official update in the coming days.

Local authorities in the coastal province of Sarangani, about 20 km (12.5 miles) from the epicenter, said 17 people had died there, many of them in a landslide. The quake temporarily knocked out power and communications networks in Sarangani - although they were later restored.

In General Santos, the city closest to the epicenter, 10 people were killed, the Office of Civil Defense said. Another 22 people remain missing. General Santos, known as the capital of the Philippines, is also known as the hometown of Manny Pacquiao, the world boxing champion who later became a politician.

South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat were also hit hard.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in a statement that agencies were coordinating their disaster response.

"The national government is moving and we will not neglect Mindanao," he promised.

Marcos also ordered the suspension of classes in affected areas after the earthquake, which coincided with the first day of the school year in the Philippines.

In a video posted by an elementary school in Davao Occidental province, dozens of terrified students can be seen sitting on the shaking ground.
The video also showed a corrugated-roofed shelter collapsing behind them, although the school said in its post that no one was injured.

More than 130 aftershocks, with magnitudes ranging from 1.3 to 6.7, were recorded after the initial earthquake.

Tërmetet janë të zakonshme në Filipine, të cilat ndodhen në "unazën e zjarrit" gjeologjikisht të paqëndrueshme. Ndërsa shumica e këtyre tërmeteve janë të vogla dhe kalojnë relativisht paqësisht, disa kanë rezultuar vdekjeprurëse. Shtatorin e kaluar, një tërmet me magnitudë 6.9 goditi rajonin qendror të Visayas, duke vrarë më shumë se 70 persona.

Menjëherë pas tërmetit të hënën në mëngjes, autoritetet në Japoni paralajmëruan për valë cunami një metër të larta që do të arrinin brigjet e saj.

Një valë cunami me madhësi disa centimetra u vu re më vonë në prefekturën jugore të Okinawa-s, ndërsa një valë 20 cm (0.7 ft) u mat në ishujt e largët Ogasawara, thanë autoritetet.

Valë u zbuluan gjithashtu në disa vende përgjatë brigjeve të Indonezisë, Palaut dhe Filipineve. Lartësia e këtyre valëve varionte nga disa centimetra në 1.4 m (4.6 ft), sipas autoriteteve.