Hanoi (VNA) – At least 37 people have been killed and around 500 injured after a magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck the southern part of the Philippines on the morning of June 8.
According to the Philippine Office of Civil Defense, the fatalities were caused by landslides, drowning and injuries from falling debris. In Sarangani province, 14 people died after a landslide buried homes at the foot of a mountain.
Authorities warned that buildings already weakened by the quake could collapse due to continuing aftershocks. The German Research Centre for Geosciences also recorded a magnitude-5.1 aftershock that struck Mindanao at 11:38 p.m. on June 8 at a depth of 10 km.
The Philippine Department of Education said the earthquake affected more than 8,600 schools, disrupting classes for over 4 million students and more than 150,000 school personnel. The disaster struck on the first day of the new academic year following a two-month summer break, with many students injured while attending morning flag-raising ceremonies.
Meanwhile, the Department of Energy reported that about 864,000 households lost power. The Department of Public Works and Highways estimated property damage in the port city of General Santos, home to more than 700,000 residents, at 1 billion PHP (16.2 million USD).
Civil aviation authorities said take-offs and landings at General Santos International Airport are currently restricted to government, military and humanitarian flights until 6 pm on June 11.
The earthquake was the strongest to hit the Philippines since 1976. According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, it was triggered by movement along the Cotabato Trench./.
