Overview
- A powerful offshore quake registered about 7.8 by the USGS struck near Sarangani and General Santos early Monday, producing strong shaking and many large aftershocks.
- Initial reports of limited casualties and damage were quickly revised as local officials and multiple news agencies said the toll rose into the dozens while assessments and rescues continued.
- Tsunami warnings were issued across the Philippines and for parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan, and land stations in the southern Philippines measured waves around one metre.
- The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the immediate tsunami threat largely passed roughly five hours after the quake but warned sea levels could still fluctuate and coastal evacuations remained in effect.
- The quake was shallow, which raises shaking and tsunami risk, and early magnitude and depth readings varied between agencies, prompting coordinated national emergency response and damage surveys.