Philippines Earthquake: Earthquake causes huge devastation in Philippines, many buildings collapsed, five people died

Manila, June 8. At least five people have died after a magnitude 7.8 offshore earthquake struck the southern part of the Philippines, according to a local disaster official. According to Xinhua News Agency report, General Santos City disaster management chief Agripino Decerra said that officials are still investigating the incident.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the earthquake occurred at 7:37 am (local time) and its depth was 33 kilometers. Its epicenter was under the sea about 32 kilometers south-west of Masim town in Sarangani province, near General Santos. The population of this city is about seven lakhs. According to the institute, after this vibration, high waves arose, whose maximum height was 1.4 meters.

According to local media, some buildings collapsed and electricity was lost in many places. Tremors were also felt in surrounding provinces. Following the earthquake, the institute issued a tsunami warning for nine coastal provinces and advised people to immediately evacuate to higher ground or move to safe interior areas. It is also estimated that the first tsunami waves could reach as early as Monday morning and the impact could last for several hours thereafter.

Philippines President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos directed disaster relief and monitoring in the affected areas and appealed to people to immediately move to higher ground. The earthquake occurred in the sea near Mindanao, the second largest island in the Philippines and considered one of the most seismically active areas in the world. The Philippines is located in the part of the world known as the ‘Ring of Fire’. This is the area where the boundaries of tectonic plates meet and earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur frequently.