Philippines Earthquake: 7.8 Magnitude Quake Kills 32 in Mindanao, Triggers Tsunami Across South Asia

Published 8 June 2026 · india

Philippines Earthquake: 7.8 Magnitude Quake Kills 32 in Mindanao, Triggers Tsunami Across South Asia Curated By, Last Updated: June 08, 2026, 16:50 IST A 7.8-magnitude

Philippines Earthquake: 7.8 Magnitude Quake Kills 32 in Mindanao, Triggers Tsunami Across South Asia Curated By, Last Updated: June 08, 2026, 16:50 IST A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the southern Philippines on June 8, killing at least 32 people, injuring over 200 & sending a 1-metre tsunami into coastal areas of Mindanao. Rapid Read Responders conduct a rescue operation at a collapsed building after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in General Santos City on June 8, 2026. (Image Courtesy: Photo by FERDINANDH CABRERA / AFP) A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Mindanao in the southern Philippines on Monday morning, June 8, 2026, killing at least 32 people, injuring more than 200, and sending tsunami waves of up to 1 metre into coastal provinces. The quake, the strongest to hit the Philippine archipelago this year, struck at 7:37 a.m. local time at a depth of 33 kilometres about 32 kilometres southwest of Maasim town in Sarangani province, according to Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS). Thirteen of the 32 confirmed dead were killed when a landslide struck houses in the mountainous town of Glan in Sarangani province, Rene Punzalan, a disaster-mitigation official for Sarangani, told the DZBB radio network. Four other residents of Sarangani died for reasons still being determined. Seven died in the port city of General Santos, the region’s commercial hub, where several small buildings collapsed. The remaining deaths were spread across the southern provinces of South Cotabato and Davao Occidental and on Balut Island, from falling debris, a damaged mosque, and a landslide, according to Rod Sosmeña, regional director of the Office of Civil Defence, and Ednar Dayanghirang, his counterpart in the Davao region.

Buildings Down In General Santos, 12 Reported Missing General Santos, a port city of more than 700,000 people and the country’s principal hub for tuna exports, sustained some of the heaviest structural damage. A two-storey school building collapsed and authorities were searching for any trapped students. The national police reported at least 12 people missing in the city. The Bureau of Fire Protection said it was conducting search and rescue operations at a damaged building and a warehouse. “The shaking was very strong and people dashed out of houses into the streets," Sosmeña told The Associated Press. He was travelling through General Santos when the quake struck and said his “pickup truck lurched so sharply" he initially thought he had a flat tyre. Dayanghirang, speaking from the southern port city of Davao, said he could “hardly stand and keep my balance when the ground shook" as he was leaving his home. The quake struck on the first day of the new school year nationwide. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the suspension of classes in all levels in affected areas and said emergency response agencies had been activated. “The national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind," Marcos said. The Department of Education said 3.2 million students and 128,000 teachers and personnel were affected. More than 100 students attending morning flag-raising ceremonies in the Davao region sustained bruises and some fainted in panic, Dayanghirang said. The General Santos international airport was shut temporarily and 17 domestic flights were cancelled, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said.