Philippines Earthquake: 7.8 Magnitude Quake Kills 32 in Mindanao, Triggers Tsunami Across South Asia

Last Updated:June 08, 2026, 16:50 IST

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the southern Philippines on June 8, killing at least 32 people, injuring over 200 & sending a 1-metre tsunami into coastal areas of Mindanao.

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Mindanao in the southern Philippines on Monday morning, June 8, 2026, killing at least 32 people, injuring more than 200, and sending tsunami waves of up to 1 metre into coastal provinces. The quake, the strongest to hit the Philippine archipelago this year, struck at 7:37 a.m. local time at a depth of 33 kilometres about 32 kilometres southwest of Maasim town in Sarangani province, according to Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).

Thirteen of the 32 confirmed dead were killed when a landslide struck houses in the mountainous town of Glan in Sarangani province, Rene Punzalan, a disaster-mitigation official for Sarangani, told the DZBB radio network. Four other residents of Sarangani died for reasons still being determined. Seven died in the port city of General Santos, the region’s commercial hub, where several small buildings collapsed. The remaining deaths were spread across the southern provinces of South Cotabato and Davao Occidental and on Balut Island, from falling debris, a damaged mosque, and a landslide, according to Rod Sosmeña, regional director of the Office of Civil Defence, and Ednar Dayanghirang, his counterpart in the Davao region.

Buildings Down In General Santos, 12 Reported Missing

General Santos, a port city of more than 700,000 people and the country’s principal hub for tuna exports, sustained some of the heaviest structural damage. A two-storey school building collapsed and authorities were searching for any trapped students. The national police reported at least 12 people missing in the city. The Bureau of Fire Protection said it was conducting search and rescue operations at a damaged building and a warehouse.

“The shaking was very strong and people dashed out of houses into the streets," Sosmeña told The Associated Press. He was travelling through General Santos when the quake struck and said his “pickup truck lurched so sharply" he initially thought he had a flat tyre. Dayanghirang, speaking from the southern port city of Davao, said he could “hardly stand and keep my balance when the ground shook" as he was leaving his home.

The quake struck on the first day of the new school year nationwide. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the suspension of classes in all levels in affected areas and said emergency response agencies had been activated. “The national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind," Marcos said. The Department of Education said 3.2 million students and 128,000 teachers and personnel were affected. More than 100 students attending morning flag-raising ceremonies in the Davao region sustained bruises and some fainted in panic, Dayanghirang said.

The General Santos international airport was shut temporarily and 17 domestic flights were cancelled, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said. Aftershocks as strong as magnitude 6.5 followed the main quake throughout the morning.

Tsunami Warnings Lifted, Smaller Waves Measured Across The Region

The quake pushed tsunami waves of 1 metre into the coastal provinces of Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani. A 1.4-metre wave was recorded at one point in the coastal area of Kiamba town in Sarangani, Bacolcol said. Six stilted shanties in a coastal village in Zamboanga del Sur were damaged by the surge. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the threat had largely passed about five hours after the quake struck. Philippine authorities formally lifted the tsunami warning by mid-afternoon.

Smaller waves radiated outward across the region. An 83-centimetre tsunami was recorded by a gauge off Sulawesi island in Indonesia. Waves of 30 centimetres were measured in Palau. Japan’s Meteorological Agency reported waves of up to 20 centimetres at the remote island of Chichijima and in the central coastal town of Kushimoto. Malaysia’s state of Sabah on Borneo island also felt the quake. There were no reports of deaths or significant damage from the tsunami in any country outside the Philippines.

Emergency Response: UNICEF, National Budget Funds Mobilised

UNICEF Philippines said it had pre-positioned emergency supplies and multipurpose cash transfers and was ready to mobilise assistance for affected children and families. “We have pre-positioned emergency supplies and multipurpose cash, enabling us to rapidly mobilize assistance to help provide timely and efficient access to cash transfer, quality health and nutrition services, water, sanitation, hygiene facilities and interventions, child protection, and to support schools in maintaining learning continuity during emergencies," the agency said in a statement on X on Monday.

The Department of Budget and Management said Quick Response Fund resources were available for immediate deployment. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said its figures, which showed at least 16 deaths in the Soccksargen region and three in the Davao Region with 134 injured and 12 missing, were still being validated.

The Philippines sits within the Pacific Ring of Fire and records more than 800 earthquakes a year, though most are minor. The archipelago is also struck by roughly 20 typhoons and tropical storms annually.

About the Author

Anoshito Banerjee

Anoshito Banerjee is a digital journalist at CNN-News18, specialising in Indian foreign policy, global diplomacy, South and West Asian geopolitics, and strategic affairs. His reporting spans hard news...Read More

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