Breaking News: Major Earthquake Hits Southern Philippines
Published On: 8 Jun 2026
An offshore earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 has struck the southern Philippines, resulting in at least 35 deaths and over 200 injuries. The quake occurred on Monday and is reported as the strongest to hit the country this year, according to Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
The hardest-hit area is the city of General Santos, where several low-rise buildings collapsed or were heavily damaged. Tsunami damage has been reported in at least one coastal village, with smaller waves noted as far away as Indonesia, Palau, and southern Japan.
In the municipality of Glan, a landslide caused by the quake killed 13 villagers, while four others died in Sarangani province due to building collapses.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the cancellation of classes and activated disaster-response agencies in affected areas. The United States, France, Japan, and New Zealand have offered support for relief efforts.
Initial tsunami warnings were lifted by mid-afternoon, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center stated that the threat had largely passed.
