Mindanao earthquake death toll climbs to 37, with nearly 500 injured

The death toll from a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck the southern Philippine island of Mindanao has risen to 37, with more than 470 people injured, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). Emergency crews are continuing search and rescue operations for the missing and assessing the full extent of the damage.

Nearly 145,000 people, or about 33,000 families, were directly impacted by the seismic event. The NDRRMC reported that 40,674 people have been displaced, with 31,701 taking shelter in temporary accommodations and another 9,000 staying with friends or relatives. The earthquake also caused significant damage to infrastructure, including buildings, roads, and bridges, with 460 houses completely destroyed and 2,505 damaged.

The earthquake, detected at 07:37 local time on Monday, originated about 24 kilometers southwest of the island of Burias, south of Mindanao, at a depth of approximately 55 kilometers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The powerful tremor was followed by 1,055 aftershocks in the subsequent 24 hours, with magnitudes ranging from 1.3 to 6.7.

General Santos City, a population center of about 530,000, was among the most affected areas, experiencing building collapses and the establishment of emergency shelters. Tsunami alerts were activated in several Pacific countries following the earthquake, and at least five landslides were recorded in the affected region of the Philippines. Although the tsunami alerts were later canceled by the Philippines and other nations, the Philippine seismological agency (Phivolcs) confirmed waves reaching up to 1.48 meters in at least six coastal locations, including Kiamba in Mindanao.