Devastating Philippines earthquake claims 34 lives and 200 injured

©picture alliance / Anadolu | Daniel Ceng

The death toll from the Philippine earthquake continues to rise. For now, the counter stands at 34 people who did not survive the massive earthquake, and more than 200 injured.

A massive earthquake measuring 7.8 on the richter scale struck the Philippine island of Mindanao on Monday morning. Twenty people are still missing. The quake took place at 7:37 a.m. local time (1:37 a.m. Dutch time), with an epicenter just 10 kilometers deep. This was reported by the German research center GFZ.

Seventeen people were killed in the province of Sarangani, close to the epicenter, including 13 victims in a landslide in the town of Glan. General Santos City, with about 700,000 inhabitants and closest city to the epicenter, was hit particularly hard with at least ten people already dead and a great deal of property damage.

School children in panic

Monday was the first day of the Philippine school year. A dramatic video footage showed schoolchildren in a school being shaken up during the earthquake. Although there was panic and a canopy collapsed, no one in that school was injured. "Fortunately, we were outside before the ceremony," testified the principal of a school that collapsed as a result of the disaster. Numerous students and teachers were outside for traditional flag ceremonies.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. closed all schools and called on the population to seek higher ground and evacuate coastal areas. "The safety of our children comes first," the president said.

Tsunami alert and aftershocks

The earthquake initially triggered a tsunami alert that was lifted several hours later. Waves of 1.4 meters were eventually observed. Severe aftershocks of up to 7 on the Richter scale are expected; at least 138 aftershocks have already followed since the first quake.

Electricity and telecommunications are down in Sarangani. Several buildings collapsed, including two schools and two hospitals that suffered severe damage. A one major bridge was also reduced to scrap metal. The Santos International Airport was temporarily shut down.

Ring of fire

The Philippines is in the Pacific Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped region around the Pacific Ocean characterized by high levels of seismic activity and volcanic eruptions, making earthquakes common in the area.

President Marcos Jr. expresses his support to the people: "We will not abandon Mindanao." The government is in full action and will provide updates as the situation evolves.

©picture alliance / Anadolu | Daniel Ceng