Search for Survivors Intensifies After Deadly Philippines Earthquake Displaces Tens of Thousands

Rescue teams are intensely searching collapsed buildings in the southern Philippines following a powerful magnitude-7.8 earthquake that struck off the coast of Mindanao early Monday. The quake has devastated coastal communities, claiming at least 37 lives, with ongoing efforts to find four people officially listed as missing.

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Most of the buildings are heavily devastated, there are so many collapsed buildings. The rescue teams mostly are conducting rescue operations … there are some possible trapped individuals.

The Philippines Office of Civil Defence confirmed that collapsed and damaged structures require thorough checking for survivors or fatalities. The Philippine Coast Guard has deployed 150 responders, including search and rescue dogs, to aid in the recovery operations. Rescue workers have been seen using dogs to search for individuals trapped in debris, such as at a collapsed grocery store.

Commodore Noemie Cayabyab of the Office of Civil Defence described the scene as one of "heavily devastated" buildings, with rescue teams working to locate possible trapped individuals. The earthquake's epicenter was off the coast of Mindanao, with the city of General Santos and surrounding regions bearing the brunt of the impact. An initial government assessment indicates that approximately 2,000 homes and over 100 government buildings have suffered damage.

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There's a lot of totally damaged and partially damaged houses. There are children along the streets, living in outdoor tents.

Complex rescue operations are being hampered by powerful aftershocks that continued into Tuesday evening. Kristin Roxas from aid agency World Vision Philippines noted the extensive damage to houses, with many children seen living in outdoor tents. Authorities report that 32,000 people have been displaced, seeking refuge in emergency shelters, a number expected to rise as evacuation centers struggle to accommodate everyone.

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We are anticipating that number will rise. Evacuation centres cannot accommodate everybody, we have seen families that are are staying outside.

Further complicating efforts are widespread blackouts, damaged telecommunications networks, and compromised roads and bridges. Faisah Ali from Save the Children Philippines highlighted that communities lack access to electricity and internet, with network services down. Reports of landslides and damaged roads have isolated some families, increasing their need for immediate support to restore essential services. Aid agencies express significant concern for the health of displaced children and their families. In the mountainside town of Glan, at least 18 people were killed by a landslide that buried homes, but accessing the town remains difficult due to infrastructure damage.

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We have heard from the communities during our assessment that they have no access to electricity, the internet and the network is currently down. There are also reports of landslides and damaged roads, so some families are currently isolated and they are asking for immediate support from the government and other actors to be able to restore back lifeline services.