Earthquake of 7.8 magnitude hits offshore near Southern Philippine, triggers tsunami alert

MANILA – A powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck offshore near the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Monday, triggering tsunami alerts across the Philippines, Indonesia and warnings from the United States tsunami monitoring system. The international media reports said that one casuality took place,and no widespread structural damage has yet been reported. The officials immediately urged residents in low-lying coastal communities to evacuate to higher ground as precautionary tsunami advisories were issued across the region. In the city of General Santos, located roughly 15 kilometers from the quake’s epicenter, residents reported strong tremors that caused household items to fall, televisions and appliances to be damaged, and widespread panic as aftershocks followed. Many people rushed out of their homes in fear of further shaking. Local disaster authorities in General Santos said intermittent aftershocks continued throughout the day, while assessment teams were deployed to evaluate potential damage and injuries. In nearby Sarangani province, which lies close to the epicenter in the Mindanao region, power and telecommunications services were disrupted in several areas. Authorities also suspended school classes as precautionary measures. Officials confirmed that no building collapses had been reported so far, although inspections were ongoing. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the national government had mobilized emergency response teams and was coordinating relief and safety operations across affected areas. “The government is fully engaged, and we will ensure Mindanao is supported throughout this emergency,” he said in a statement. The quake occurred in a highly active seismic zone within the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” where both the Philippines and Indonesia regularly experience earthquakes due to shifting tectonic plates. According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), tsunami waves exceeding one meter we