15 dead in 7.8 magnitude Philippines earthquake, tsunami warning from Indonesia to Japan | Today’s news
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippines on Monday, killing at least 15 people.
The devastating earthquake caused buildings to collapse and triggered tsunami warnings across the region.
Philippine authorities urged people in affected coastal areas to move to higher ground after an offshore earthquake struck south of the city of General Santos, home to about 720,000 people.
A series of strong aftershocks shook the area about two hours after the first quake, according to the United States Geological Survey, with the largest measuring 6.5.
Buildings reduced to rubble
Videos posted on social media and verified by AFP show a mall with a Jollibee fast food restaurant reduced to rubble in General Santos City, while a school building that officials said was unoccupied is crumpled in another.
“Sir, it really collapsed! … The building really collapsed!” someone is heard screaming as the school structure collapses.
Another video verified by AFP showed young schoolchildren screaming in the arms of their teachers as the quake rocked them violently back and forth on the ground.
As the video uploaded to the school’s official Facebook page ended, a flimsy metal structure could be seen collapsing in the background. The accompanying caption said that no one was under the structure when it fell.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a statement that tsunami waves are possible along the coasts of the Philippines, Indonesia, Palau, Taiwan and Papua New Guinea.
As of 2:00 p.m. (06:00 GMT), at least 15 were reported dead, including 12 in the Soccskargen area of Mindanao island, an area that includes the city of General Santos.
Three more deaths were reported in Davao Occidental province, according to the country’s disaster agency.
The figures do not yet include two people who police Major Roland Catoburan told AFP were crushed to death by a collapsing wall in Alabel, a municipality near General Santos.
“We have casualties. A wall fell on them,” he said, adding that officers were not allowed to re-enter their stations, some of which now had cracked walls.
Evacuate NOW
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos suspended classes on the island of Mindanao for the first day of school while urging residents of coastal areas to evacuate immediately.
“Move to higher ground now. Don’t wait,” he said. “Your life is more important than anything left behind.”
In Kiamba, a coastal town near the epicenter, about 50,000 residents have already done so.
“From now on, 80 percent of the population has moved to higher ground,” said Agripino Dacera, regional disaster director.
“All villages along the coast have been ordered to proceed to evacuation centers.
The airport in General Santos was also closed until further notice, officials said.
Fire circle
Monday’s earthquake prompted evacuation warnings for coastal areas in neighboring Indonesia and Malaysia, and Jakarta’s weather agency subsequently lifted the warning.
Japanese authorities issued a tsunami warning for parts of its Pacific coast, although the waves that reached the country’s shores were said to be no larger than 20 centimeters (about eight inches).
Earthquakes are an almost daily occurrence in the Philippines, which sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
A pair of 7.4 and 6.7 magnitude earthquakes struck Eastern Mindanao in October, killing at least eight.
These followed a 6.9-magnitude earthquake days earlier that killed 76 people and destroyed or damaged 72,000 buildings in Cebu province in the central Philippines, according to government figures.
