32,000 people displaced by the Philippine earthquake that killed at
least 37
[June 09, 2026]
BY JIM GOMEZ and JOEAL CALUPITAN
GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines (AP) — Rescuers searched ruined buildings in
the southern Philippines on Tuesday to ensure no one was still trapped a
day after one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the country in a
half-century killed at least 37 people and displaced more than 32,000.
Only four people were considered missing on official records in the
southern provinces near where the 7.8 magnitude quake struck Monday
morning, but the Office of Civil Defense acknowledged several collapsed
and heavily damaged buildings must be thoroughly inspected for possible
survivors or casualties.
The earthquake centered off Mindanao, the second most populous
Philippine island, injured nearly 500 people and displaced more than
32,000, most of whom fled to emergency shelters.
Many people who left their homes feared a tsunami. Waves up to
1.4-meters (4.6-feet) above tide level were measured in the Philippines,
but the only tsunami damage reported was to six shanties on stilts in a
coastal village. Smaller waves washed ashore in Indonesia and Palau and
as far away as southern Japan.
Landslides and building collapses caused several deaths
The earthquake left a trail of destruction, including in General Santos,
a lively coastal city of more than 700,000 people known as the country’s
tuna capital, where at least 13 people were killed in collapsed
buildings and due to falling debris.
At least 18 died in Sarangani province, mostly in a landslide that
buried houses in the mountainside town of Glan, according to Rafaelito
Alejandro of the Office of Civil Defense.
The other deaths were reported in the southern provinces of South
Cotabato and Davao Occidental, and on Balut Island, disaster response
officials said.
About 2,500 houses and 117 government buildings and facilities were
damaged in several provinces, according to an initial government damage
assessment. The international airport in General Santos remained shut
for a second day, forcing the cancellation of 63 domestic flights except
for those on humanitarian missions.
About 6,000 public school buildings in quake-hit provinces must be
assessed before classes can resume. The quake struck on the first day of
classes nationwide after a two-month summer break, and many who
sustained injuries were young students who had gathered with excitement
for morning flag-raising ceremonies.
Authorities have warned that buildings that sustained cracks could
collapse due to aftershocks, some of them dangerously powerful.
“We cannot force the immediate reopening of schools because we have to
ensure the integrity of the buildings,” Alejandro said.
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A man walks past a damaged building following an earthquake in
General Santos, Philippines Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Basilio
Sepe)
It was the strongest Philippine quake since 1976
Monday's earthquake was centered at sea at a depth of 33 kilometers
(20 miles), about 32 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of Maasim town
in Sarangani province.
It was set off by movement in the Cotabato Trench and was the
strongest since the same undersea depression triggered an
8.1-magnitude quake that whipped up tsunami waves on Aug. 17, 1976,
said Teresito Bacolcol, the director of the Philippine Institute of
Volcanology and Seismology.
About 8,000 people died from that quake and tsunami waves of up to 8
to 10 meters (26 to 33 feet) that engulfed several towns and
provinces, Bacolcol said.
The Philippine seismological institute was scheduled to commemorate
the anniversary of the 1976 quake and tsunami in August by
installing markers to remind vulnerable towns and cities of the need
for constant vigilance, Bacolcol told The Associated Press.
A 1990 earthquake that also had a magnitude of 7.8 left more than
1,000 people dead, injured thousands and caused extensive damages in
northern provinces and cities.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. deployed top defense-mitigation
officials from Manila to help oversee search and rescue, the
distribution of tens of thousands of food packs and construction
materials to quake victims and assess damage to bridges, roads and
other infrastructure.
The United States, a treaty ally of the Philippines, said it was
coordinating with Manila and was ready to support Philippine
response efforts. France, Japan and New Zealand also expressed
support.
The Philippines is often hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions
due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic
faults around the ocean.
The archipelago is also battered by about 20 typhoons and tropical
storms each year, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone
countries.
___
Gomez reported from Manila, Philippines. AP journalists Basilio Sepe
in General Santos, Philippines, and Haruka Nuga in Bangkok
contributed to this report.
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