Earthquake in General Santos, Philippines Leaves Devastation and Rescue Efforts Ongoing

In General Santos, Philippines, rescuers continue the search through the rubble of a collapsed building, heavily affected by a massive earthquake that has killed at least 37 people and injured hundreds more. The focus remains on reaching two individuals who are still believed to be trapped inside.

Edgar Tanawan, the regional fire officer leading rescue operations, reported that two people have been rescued alive from the building, which contains a grocery store and other businesses. Unfortunately, a third person was found deceased. Currently, rescue teams have not detected any signs of life from the remaining two trapped individuals, according to Tanawan.

“It’s difficult to accept, as a mother, that my son is still trapped there,” said Dioslinda Deluvio, while waiting outside the building for news of her son. “I don’t know… it’s very hard to accept.” She added, “My only call is to have him retrieved today so we can be at peace.”

The earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.8, triggered tsunami warnings across multiple countries. It struck early on Monday morning about 12 miles off the coast of Sarangani province. Tremors were strongly felt across Mindanao and extended as far as Manado, Indonesia, located 260 miles away.

Officials remain hopeful that the death toll will not rise further as search and rescue operations progress. There are more than 400 reported injuries and four people still missing.

In General Santos, where over 700,000 residents are currently under a state of calamity, the scenes of destruction are stark. Several buildings have collapsed, and debris covers the streets, tangled with downed power lines and utility posts.

Disaster officials are conducting thorough assessments of the damage to buildings and are striving to restore power and water supplies. This disaster follows another devastating earthquake that struck the Philippines eight months ago, a 6.9 magnitude quake in Cebu, where 79 people lost their lives.

The Philippines, located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” frequently experiences earthquakes. The recent quake occurred after schools had reopened on Monday. Now, schools remain closed while authorities evaluate building safety; thousands of school structures have sustained varying degrees of damage, according to Rafaelito Alejandro, head of civil defense.

Footage shared from a school during the quake’s occurrence displayed a group of children sitting on the floor, swaying side to side. Some sought comfort from their teachers before quickly evacuating as a makeshift shelter collapsed.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has recorded 23 significant aftershocks, the strongest reaching a magnitude of 6.7. This forced some residents to spend the night in temporary shelters and tents.

In both General Santos and Sarangani, makeshift tents were set up to provide medical care as authorities checked hospital safety. Teodoro Herbosa, Health Secretary, emphasized the crucial need for power restoration to ensure patient access to sensitive medical treatments limited by outages.