A colossal earthquake, measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale, sent shockwaves through the waters off Mindanao, a major island in the southern Philippines, early Friday. This seismic event tragically resulted in at least three fatalities and prompted authorities to issue a widespread tsunami alert.
The United States Geological Survey reported that the powerful tremor struck precisely at 9:43 a.m. local time, causing significant ground shaking.
Among the victims was a 64-year-old woman in Mati City, Davao Oriental Province, who lost her life when a wall tragically gave way. Ednar Dayanghirang, director of the Davao region’s Office of Civil Defense, confirmed this fatality. He also noted in a radio interview that a residential building in Lupon, another Davao Oriental municipality, suffered a collapse, thankfully without any reported casualties.
Nelson Dayanghirang, the provincial governor of Davao Oriental, heartbreakingly confirmed a second death from a collapsed home during a television appearance. Further compounding the crisis, a hospital in Manay municipality had to be evacuated due to structural damage to its foundation.
The earthquake’s epicenter was located approximately 20 kilometers off the eastern coastline of Davao Oriental Province. Its powerful rumbles were felt across Davao City, the Philippines’ third-largest metropolitan area, home to over 1.8 million people. City officials in Davao reported one earthquake-related death and more than 300 injuries.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) had promptly issued a tsunami warning, cautioning that the initial waves could impact coastal areas within two hours and potentially persist for several hours thereafter. Residents in several affected provinces were urgently advised to relocate to higher ground immediately. The warning was eventually revoked at 1:43 p.m. local time.
During a Friday afternoon news briefing, Teresito Bacolcol, the director of PHIVOLCS, confirmed that “nondestructive” tsunami waves, approximately one foot in height, were observed along Mindanao’s eastern coast.
In response to the emergency, local governments in Davao and the cities of General Santos and Sultan Kudarat, also in Mindanao, swiftly moved to suspend all government work and school classes.
Myca Santos, a resident of General Santos, recounted the chaotic scene at her workplace, a retail center, as employees and customers scrambled for safety when the earthquake began. She described the initial tremors as mild, gradually intensifying and lasting for approximately five minutes.
“It felt like being gently rocked in a cradle,” Ms. Santos remarked, though she was relieved to report no immediate signs of damage in her own neighborhood.
Meanwhile, Jenny Caña from Davao City shared her harrowing experience, stating that the violent shaking made it nearly impossible for her family to exit their home. Outside, she witnessed cars halted mid-road and utility poles swaying precariously. The quake caused visible cracks in a nearby school’s walls, and several of her friends in different areas of Davao City reported power outages.
The Philippines is situated within the notorious “Ring of Fire,” a vast, horseshoe-shaped belt of intense seismic and volcanic activity that arcs around the Pacific Ocean.
Director Bacolcol of PHIVOLCS explained in his radio interview that the tsunami warning was prompted by the earthquake’s origin within the Philippine Trench. This colossal 30,000-foot-deep seafloor depression extends along the southeastern Philippine coast and is known for generating powerful seismic events.
Further south, Indonesia’s North Sulawesi and Papua provinces, located directly south of Mindanao, also received tsunami warnings.
This latest quake’s epicenter was hundreds of miles removed from Cebu Province, which tragically experienced a devastating 6.9-magnitude earthquake in late September that claimed dozens of lives.
Additional reporting by Muktita Suhartono, Sui-Lee Wee, and Aie Balagtas See.