Magnitude 7.8 Earthquake Strikes Mindanao, With at Least 35 Deaths Reported

Rescuers Search Collapsed Buildings as Casualty Reports Differ

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck offshore of Sarangani in the southern Philippines at 7:37 a.m. on June 8, 2026, triggering a deadly landslide, collapsing buildings and sending tsunami waves into coastal communities. One account put the death toll at at least 35, with more than 200 injured, while another reported 32 deaths, 200 injuries and 12 people missing.

The different totals have not been reconciled, and authorities were still accounting for victims as rescue operations continued. Reports also differed on where most deaths occurred. One identified General Santos as the city with the highest fatalities; another said most deaths occurred in Sarangani province, where a landslide in Glan killed 13 villagers.

The U.S. Embassy in the Philippines confirmed the earthquake's timing and offshore location in its June 8 natural disaster alert, citing the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, known as PHIVOLCS. The alert recorded the precise time as 7:37:41 a.m. and coordinates of 05.57 degrees north and 124.98 degrees east.

General Santos, a port city of more than 700,000 people and a center for tuna exports, suffered extensive building damage. Rescue teams searched a supermarket, warehouse, grade school and other structures where people might have been trapped. A separate account said at least four people remained missing in the city, a narrower geographic count than the reported total of 12.

The earthquake struck on the first day of the school year. Classes were canceled, hospital patients were evacuated and the international airport in General Santos temporarily closed. Coastal warnings were later lifted, but damaged buildings and continuing aftershocks remained immediate concerns.

What the Revised Earthquake Measurements Show

PHIVOLCS initially reported a magnitude 7.0 earthquake at a depth of 10 kilometers. Its Earthquake Information No. 2 revised those measurements to magnitude 7.8 and a depth of 33 kilometers. Reports citing that advisory placed the epicenter about 32 kilometers southwest of Maasim, Sarangani.

These figures describe different aspects of the event. Magnitude measures the size of an earthquake, while depth identifies how far below the surface it began. Early estimates can change as seismic agencies process more recordings. The revision was an updated assessment of the same earthquake, not a second event.

The earthquake was attributed to movement along the Cotabato Trench. PHIVOLCS director Teresito Bacolcol described it as the strongest earthquake to hit the Philippines that year. His account placed its depth and distance from Maasim at about 20 miles, broadly consistent with the revised measurements in kilometers.

The location offshore created two overlapping emergencies: destructive shaking on land and a tsunami threat along the coast. The eventual lifting of tsunami warnings did not establish that buildings damaged by the shaking were safe to enter.

Shaking Varied Across Mindanao

Instrumental measurements recorded Intensity VIII, described by PHIVOLCS as very destructive, in Malapatan, Sarangani. Intensity VII, or destructive shaking, was measured in Koronadal City in South Cotabato and Santa Maria in Davao Occidental. General Santos and T'boli recorded instrumental Intensity VI.

Intensity is different from magnitude. An earthquake has a magnitude describing its size, but its intensity varies from place to place according to the shaking experienced there. Instrumental intensity comes from seismic sensors; reported intensity reflects observations of shaking and its effects.

Reports differed on the highest observed intensity. One listed reported Intensity VII in General Santos, while another identified Intensity VI in Palimbang and Senator Ninoy Aquino as the strongest reported shaking. Both accounts listed the higher instrumental reading of VIII in Malapatan. The discrepancy in reported observations has not been resolved.

Shaking was also recorded in Davao City, Cotabato, Zamboanga and parts of Leyte. Power and internet outages affected some areas, while residents continued to feel aftershocks. One account put the number of aftershocks at around 180, although it did not specify the counting period.

Landslide Deaths Add to the Building Toll

Rene Punzalan, a provincial disaster mitigation official, said 13 villagers died in a landslide in Glan, Sarangani. He also reported four additional deaths in the province. Together, those figures account for 17 deaths in Sarangani, though they do not settle the differing national totals or the reports about where fatalities were concentrated.

Other deaths were attributed to collapsing buildings and falling debris in South Cotabato, Davao Occidental and on Balut Island. Officials described casualties at a damaged mosque. Reports of damage also covered churches, shopping malls, schools and hospitals, but a complete inventory of affected structures had not been released.

Several buildings in General Santos partially or completely collapsed. A four story commercial building housing a provincial radio station partly collapsed, although staff escaped to the ground floor without injuries. Search teams were also investigating reports that people could be trapped inside a school.

Rod Sosmeña, a regional director of the Office of Civil Defense, was traveling in General Santos when the earthquake struck. He described the sudden movement of his vehicle and the reaction in nearby streets:

Our pickup truck suddenly jerked and I thought we had a flat tire.

The shaking was very strong and people dashed out of houses into the streets.

The casualty figures remained provisional. The 12 people reported missing and the separate count of at least four missing in General Santos should not be added together, because the city count could be included in the wider total.

School Ceremonies Kept Some Children Outside

At Matanao National High School, the roof collapsed while students and staff were outside for a ceremony to raise the flag. The building had been damaged in a 2019 earthquake and was scheduled for demolition. Its collapse brings attention to an existing damaged structure, although no account establishes why demolition had not yet taken place.

A separate school account came from Malita in Davao Occidental. More than 100 uniformed students and about a dozen teachers had gathered outdoors for the opening ceremony after a two month summer break. Principal Rosavel Cachuela said some children screamed or cried, but most remained seated and still, and no students were injured.

Cachuela described how the earthquake changed the start of the school year:

Their excitement on the first day of school turned to trauma.

A shed collapsed at the Malita school and damaged a motorcycle. These two school incidents occurred in different places and should not be confused with the separate reports of people possibly trapped in a damaged school elsewhere.

Tsunami Warnings Covered Nine Provinces

The U.S. Embassy alert listed nine areas under a tsunami warning: Sarangani, Davao Occidental, Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Basilan, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Sultan Kudarat and South Cotabato. It said the first waves were forecast to arrive between 7:37 and 9:37 a.m. on June 8 and could continue for hours.

PHIVOLCS warned that waves could exceed one meter above normal tide levels and could be higher in enclosed bays and straits. An initial U.S. tsunami warning described the possibility of waves up to three meters. Those forecasts were warnings of possible conditions, not measurements of what eventually reached every coastline.

Philippine authorities reported waves reaching about 1.4 meters in six coastal areas. Bacolcol identified a 4.6 foot wave in Kiamba, roughly equivalent to 1.4 meters. Waves of about three feet, or 0.9 meters, were also monitored in Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani.

Six homes built on stilts were damaged in a coastal village in Zamboanga del Sur by the earthquake and higher waves. That damage shows that the coastal impact was not limited to evacuation orders, even though measured waves were below the initial maximum forecast.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the threat had largely passed about five hours after the earthquake. Philippine officials lifted their tsunami warning by midafternoon. Those later assessments superseded the initial evacuation phase, but did not remove the risks from damaged structures or aftershocks.

Waves Reached Indonesia, Palau and Japan

Indonesia and Japan also issued tsunami warnings, and small waves were measured beyond the Philippines. A gauge off Indonesia's Sulawesi island recorded a 2.7 foot tsunami, approximately 0.82 meters. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported one foot waves in Palau, about 0.30 meters.

The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded waves up to 7.8 inches, approximately 0.20 meters, at Chichijima and Kushimoto. Those measurements were smaller than the roughly 1.4 meter wave reported in Kiamba. The earthquake was also felt in Malaysia's Sabah state, although no tsunami height was given there.

The differences between locations matter: a wave measured at one gauge does not establish the height along an entire coastline. PHIVOLCS specifically warned about higher waves in bays and straits, where coastal shape can affect local conditions.

Hospitals, Flights and Relief Operations Disrupted

Patients evacuated from a damaged hospital were reported sitting outside a school. The account did not identify the hospital or say when services could resume. Reports of hospital damage added pressure to an emergency response already dealing with more than 200 injured people.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said General Santos International Airport temporarily shut and 17 domestic flights were canceled. No confirmed reopening time was given. Power and internet outages in some areas created further difficulties while damage assessments and searches continued.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered classes canceled and directed disaster response agencies to deploy to affected provinces. Announcing the government's response, he said:

the national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind.

The U.S. Embassy said the Office of Civil Defense and Philippine disaster management agencies were assessing damage and deploying first responders. The United States also expressed readiness to support Philippine response efforts. France, Japan and New Zealand expressed support, but no specific aid quantities or delivery schedules were identified.

How the Emergency Unfolded

The earthquake, measurement revisions and tsunami warnings unfolded within the same day. The sequence helps distinguish the initial forecasts from later observations and decisions:

• June 8, 7:37:41 a.m.: PHIVOLCS recorded the earthquake offshore of Sarangani.
• Initial assessment: The agency reported magnitude 7.0 and a depth of 10 kilometers.
• Second earthquake advisory: PHIVOLCS revised the magnitude to 7.8 and the depth to 33 kilometers.
• 7:37 to 9:37 a.m.: Authorities forecast the arrival of the first tsunami waves, warning that activity could last for hours.
• About five hours after the earthquake: The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the tsunami threat had largely passed.
• By midafternoon: Philippine authorities lifted their tsunami warning while rescue and damage assessment work continued.

PHIVOLCS urged coastal residents to move to higher ground or farther inland during the warning. It gave separate instructions for vessels: secure boats in harbors and shallow coastal waters and avoid the waterfront, while boats already offshore should remain in deep water until further instructions.

Bacolcol also advised people to seek guidance before returning to damaged homes and buildings because aftershocks could cause further collapse. That warning remained relevant after the coastal alert ended.

What Has Yet to Be Established

The final death toll, the number of missing people and the full extent of structural damage were not yet established. Reports gave different casualty totals and different accounts of where deaths were concentrated. No reconciled breakdown by province or confirmed list of missing people was available.

The extent of damage to hospitals and schools, the airport's reopening time and the schedule for building inspections were also unspecified. No next briefing time or deadline for a consolidated damage assessment was announced in the accounts of the response.

The immediate priorities were locating people in collapsed structures, treating the injured and assessing whether damaged buildings could be occupied. The distinction between a lifted tsunami warning and continued danger on land is central to understanding the emergency: the coastal threat eased, while rescue operations and aftershocks continued.

Key Points

• A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck offshore of Sarangani at 7:37 a.m. on June 8, 2026.
• Reports gave death tolls of at least 32 and at least 35, with around 200 or more people injured.
• A landslide in Glan killed 13 villagers; four additional deaths were reported in Sarangani.
• Rescuers searched damaged buildings in General Santos, where at least four people were reported missing.
• Instrumental Intensity VIII was recorded in Malapatan, the strongest sensor reading reported.
• Tsunami waves reached about 1.4 meters in Kiamba, with smaller waves measured in Indonesia, Palau and Japan.
• Philippine tsunami warnings were lifted by midafternoon, but aftershocks and damaged buildings remained concerns.
• Classes were canceled and 17 domestic flights were canceled after General Santos airport temporarily closed.