7.8 quake leaves 35 dead in Philippines

200-plus injured   

Over a dozen missing   

Tsunami waves of up to 1.4m strike coast   

airport closed

Manila: A powerful 7.8-magnitude offshore earthquake struck the southern Philipp­ines on Monday, killing at least 35 people, injuring more than 200 and triggering tsunami waves of up to 1.4 metres along parts of the coast.

The quake, the strongest to hit the country this year, struck at 7.37 am off Mindanao island. Authorities said 13 people died in a landslide in Sarangani province when earth buried houses in the mountainous town of Glan. Other deaths were reported in General Santos, South Cotabato, Davao Occidental and on Balut Island. More than a dozen people were reported missing.

Several buildings collapsed or sustained heavy damage in General Santos, a key commercial hub and centre of the tuna export industry. 

Rescuers were deployed amid fears people remained trapped under rubble. The city’s international airport was temporarily closed and 17 domestic flights were cancelled. Public schools had reopened nationwide on Monday after the summer vacation. Officials said more than 100 students attending morning flag-raising ceremonies in the southern region suffered bruises or fainted in the panic.

Teresito Bacolcol, Director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, warned residents not to return to damaged buildings due to strong aftershocks, which reached up to 6.5 magnitude. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr cancelled classes and directed disaster-response age­ncies to assist affected provinces.

Tsunami waves of about one metre were recorded in Sarangani and Sultan Kudarat provinces, while a 1.4-metre wave was measured in Kiamba town. Smaller waves were detected in Indonesia, Palau and Japan. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center la­ter said the threat had largely passed, and Philippine authorities lifted tsunami warnings by mid-afternoon.

—AP

aftermath

Landslide deaths: 13 killed in Sarangani 

Damage: Buildings collapsed, and infra damaged in General Santos

Schools hit: more than 100 students suffered bruises or fainted during panic

Transport: General Santos airport temporarily closed; 17 domestic flights cancelled

Aftershocks: Tremors of up to 6.5 magnitude recorded