Philippines Rocked by 7.8 Magnitude Earthquake, Triggers Tsunami?

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - The southern Philippines was rocked by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Monday, June 8, 2026, at 7:37 a.m. local time (PST or UTC+8).

This event killed at least four people and injured more than 200 others, and triggered a tsunami warning in several Pacific countries.

Initially, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported the earthquake's magnitude at 7.0 before being revised to 7.8.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) also recorded a magnitude of 7.8.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) identified the earthquake's moment magnitude at 8.2.

The earthquake's epicenter was located off the southern coast of Mindanao, Philippines.

PHIVOLCS stated it was located 13 km southwest of General Santos City on Mindanao Island, at a depth of 10 km.

However, USGS data indicates a depth of 55.2 km (34 miles), while EMSC reports 45 km (28 miles).

Other sources place the epicenter in waters 32 km southwest of Maasim Town, Sarangani Province, Mindanao, at a depth of 33 km, or 26 km (16 miles) west-southwest of Kablalan off the coast of Sarangani Province.

This powerful earthquake was caused by movement in the Cotabato Trough.

The resulting shaking was felt strongly, with a maximum intensity of VIII (Very Damaging) recorded instrumentally in Malapatan, Sarangani, on the PHIVOLCS earthquake intensity scale.

At least 7.05 million people in southern and central Mindanao, including Davao City and Tagum, were exposed to shaking of intensity VI (Strong).

Video verified by The Guardian showed the collapse of the upper floor of a Jollibee restaurant and the exterior concrete wall of a commercial complex in General Santos City.

In Davao del Sur, part of a high school collapsed, and a convenience store in General Santos City suffered severe damage to its entrance.

In total, at least 37 structures across Mindanao were damaged, and roads in South Cotabato province developed large cracks.

In terms of casualties, three people were killed and 130 others injured in General Santos, while one person died in Davao Oriental province.

Several residents at a ceremony in Maasim reportedly fainted due to panic caused by the shaking.

Following the earthquake, the Philippine seismological agency immediately issued a tsunami warning.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center stated that the tsunami threat had largely passed about five hours after the quake, but it still urged the public to remain vigilant.

Tsunami waves of up to three meters (10 feet) were estimated to be possible along some coasts of the Philippines, and up to one meter (3 feet) along some coasts of Indonesia and Malaysia.

Land-based tsunami monitoring stations in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani, Philippines, have detected waves as high as 1 meter (3 feet).

Smaller waves are also possible in Taiwan, Japan, Guam, Papua New Guinea, and several island nations and territories in the Western Pacific.

The Philippine government has ordered immediate evacuation to higher ground or further inland for residents of nine provinces, including Sarangani, Davao Occidental, Tawi-Tawi, and Sulu.

The head of the Philippine Institute, Teresito Bacolcol, warned, "people living in coastal areas to immediately evacuate to higher ground or go further inland."

In response, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also ordered the suspension of schools in affected areas until further notice, stating that the safety of children was paramount.

National disaster management agencies were on standby to respond.

The Philippine Civil Defense Office warned the public to avoid entering damaged homes or infrastructure due to the threat of aftershocks.

PHIVOLCS recorded at least 138 aftershocks, including three magnitude 6.0+ and one magnitude 5.8, with the largest measuring 6.5. An aftershock of magnitude 6.1 also struck the southern Philippines.