Hundreds of aftershocks have jolted southern Philippines, compounding the devastation from Monday’s magnitude‑7.8 earthquake that killed 37 people and left 487 injured.
Emergency responders are now mapping collapsed buildings, cracked roads, and landslide‑sealed highways across Mindanao. Many towns lack electricity and telephone coverage, which hampers rescue operations.
Tsunami warnings were issued in Indonesia and along Japan’s Pacific coast, displacing thousands of residents as a result of the seismic event.
Assistant Secretary Bernardo Alejandro told DZMM radio that the priority is search and rescue; the death toll could rise as aftershocks continue.
Officials estimate that close to 2,000 homes and 6,000 public schools have been damaged; the brutal quake struck along the Cotabato Trench, which produced the 1976 7.9‑magnitude earthquake that claimed around 5,000 lives.
In local testimony, a construction worker recalled the day’s shaking, and a teacher described the experience at school, emphasizing how students’ presence outside during the morning assembly saved many lives.
A viral video of a Jollibee restaurant collapsing in General Santos City underscores the depth of the region’s damage; the chain confirmed all staff were safe.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has dispatched the government war‑machinery to Mindanao—transportation and health secretaries are on the ground to oversee the response.
Access to towns like Jose Abad Santos remains difficult; landslides have blocked key highways, forcing relief goods to be flown in.
