The ground had barely stopped shaking when the screams began. Dozens of schoolchildren in Digos, southern Philippines, scrambled across a schoolyard as a corrugated-roof shelter buckled and crashed behind them – the first terrifying seconds of a magnitude-7.8 earthquake that has now killed at least 35 people.
The quake struck at 07:37 local time on Monday off the coast of Mindanao island, the country’s second-biggest island, home to around 26 million people. It triggered tsunami alerts across the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and Australia, though warnings were cancelled or downgraded hours later. Waves ranging from a few centimetres to 1.4 metres were detected along the coasts of the Philippines, Indonesia and Palau.
“At least 35 dead after magnitude-7.8 quake as schoolchildren flee collapsing roof in Digos”
In Digos, a primary school in Davao Occidental province posted video of the moment the earthquake hit. Terrified pupils can be seen squatting on shaking ground as the shelter collapses behind them. The school later said in a Facebook statement that no one was injured, thanking staff and students for “staying calm and orderly throughout the situation”.
Elsewhere, the destruction was more severe. The country’s Office of Civil Defense reported 31 of the fatalities in Soccsksargen and four in Davao. At least 134 people have been injured and some 10,000 families displaced. Videos showed a Jollibee fast-food restaurant reduced to rubble, and landslides were recorded in several areas. Authorities initially gave a death toll of 32, with 12 people reported missing, but casualty numbers still need to be verified by the national disaster agency, which tabulates reports from various local sources.
The earthquake – which struck on the first day of the school year – was followed by more than 130 aftershocks, with magnitudes ranging from 1.3 to 6.7. A magnitude-5.7 earthquake also hit off Balut Island near Sarangani late Monday. The Philippines sits on the geologically unstable “ring of fire”, where earthquakes are common. Last September, a magnitude-6.9 earthquake in the central Visayas region killed more than 70 people.
In a statement, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said agencies were coordinating their disaster response. “The national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind,” he promised, ordering the suspension of classes in affected areas. The question now is how quickly help can reach the thousands displaced – and whether the aftershocks still rumbling beneath the island will bring more ruin.