Deadly 7.8-magnitude Philippines quake turns seabed into shore

The southern Philippines is grappling with a dramatically altered coastline after a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck on June 8. The seismic event, centered near the Cotabato trench, not only toppled buildings and triggered landslides, killing at least 76 people on Mindanao island, but also caused a phenomenon known as coastal uplift. Large swathes of the seabed were thrust above the waterline, creating new, permanent shorelines and leaving familiar coastal areas unrecognizable. Fisherman and pastor Arsenio Butil Jr. described witnessing the shoreline change in real-time, with coral reefs suddenly emerging from the sea. He recounted the water receding and returning multiple times, a terrifying experience for the local population. The uplift has extended the shore by up to 200 meters in some areas, leaving fishing boats stranded inland and stretches of dead coral visible for kilometers. Nane Danlag of the Philippines' seismology center confirmed the change is permanent, noting the seabed rose by approximately 2 meters. Despite the scientific explanation of this as a natural geological process that has occurred over thousands of years, residents are deeply unsettled. Many families who fled to higher ground remain hesitant to return to their destroyed homes. Datu Atom Malimpnig, a local chieftain, expressed the community's fear of future tsunamis, stating, "What if the sea surges forward? That is what everyone fears." The altered landscape has disrupted the lives of fishermen and their families, leaving them in temporary encampments and uncertain about their future.

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What I saw at the shoreline was that the water receded. After a while, I saw it slowly returning, and then it receded again, maybe three or four times. The fish were dying and floating.