Hanoi (VNA) – Philippine authorities have released updated casualty figures following a magnitude-7.8 earthquake that struck the country's southern region on June 8, reporting at least 12 deaths, seven missing persons and more than 200 injuries.
The port city of General Santos suffered the heaviest damage, with disaster management officials confirming seven fatalities and about 130 injuries after several small buildings collapsed and multiple structures, including a key bridge, sustained severe cracks. The remaining five deaths were recorded in South Cotabato, Davao Occidental and Balut Island.
Rescue teams are working urgently to verify reports that several students may be trapped inside a collapsed two-storey school building in General Santos. Police said the earthquake struck on the opening day of the new academic year while students were gathered for a flag-raising ceremony, triggering panic that left more than 100 students injured or unconscious.
The Philippine Civil Aviation Authority (CAAP) announced the temporary suspension of all operations at General Santos International Airport to assess the safety of airport infrastructure and navigation equipment. The closure resulted in the immediate cancellation of at least 17 domestic flights, while passengers were advised to contact airlines directly for updated travel information.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported a 1.4-metre tsunami following the offshore earthquake. Meanwhile, an 83-centimetre tsunami wave was recorded by monitoring equipment off Indonesia's Sulawesi Island.
Earlier, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre warned that tsunami waves of up to three metres can affect some Philippine coastlines, while waves of up to one metre were forecast for parts of Indonesia and Malaysia. Smaller tsunami waves were also expected in Japan, Papua New Guinea and several islands and territories in the western Pacific./.
