Strong Earthquake Hits Southern Philippines: At Least 1 Dead, 4 Injured, Multiple Buildings Collapsed

(Central News Agency, Manila, 8th, Combined Foreign Reports) A strong earthquake struck off the southern coast of the Philippines today. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) measured the earthquake at magnitude 7.8. Police reported that the quake has caused at least one death, four injuries, and the collapse of "multiple buildings."

According to combined reports from AFP and AP, the USGS stated that the epicenter was located approximately 24 kilometers west of Sarangani Province on Mindanao Island, at a depth of 35 kilometers. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology measured the hypocenter depth at 10 kilometers.

Police in General Santos City told AFP that many buildings in the city were damaged and some houses collapsed, but they could not provide a detailed list as emergency services were busy with ongoing rescue operations. Police confirmed at least one death and four injuries.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center stated after the quake that waves up to 3 meters high could hit parts of the Philippine coast. Coastal areas of Indonesia and Malaysia could see waves up to 1 meter high.

Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, warned coastal residents: "We advise people to evacuate to higher ground or move inland."

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a bulletin stating that tsunami waves could hit coastal areas of the Philippines, Indonesia, Palau, Taiwan, and Papua New Guinea "within the next three hours."

Japanese authorities separately issued a tsunami advisory for a wide area along the Pacific coast, predicting waves up to 1 meter high starting from around 11:30 AM Japan time (10:30 AM Taiwan time).

Videos posted on Facebook showed a shopping mall in General Santos City, which housed a Jollibee fast-food restaurant, reduced to rubble, and a local school building also collapsed.

Exclamations could be heard in the video: "Oh Lord, it really fell! It really fell! This building really fell!"

A local disaster official in Davao City, the capital of Mindanao, said authorities are continuously monitoring the situation and will release updates via social media.

Residents in North Sulawesi and North Maluku provinces in Indonesia also felt the earthquake. (Editor: Cai Jiamin) 1150608