WorldRescuers 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 20,000.Rescuers search for survivors in rubbleThe Associated Press · Posted: Jun 09, 2026 4:53 AM EDT | Last Updated: 42 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.A rescue worker uses search-and-rescue dog to look for trapped people at a collapsed grocery store a day after the magnitude 7.8 quake in Calumpang, General Santos, southern Philippines. (Noel Celis/Reuters)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 20,000. 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 20,000, most of whom fled to emergency shelters.Many people who left their homes feared a tsunami. Waves up to 1.4 metres 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.WATCH | Dozens killed in powerful quake off the Philippines:Powerful earthquake shakes the Philippines8 hours ago|Duration 2:01Search and rescue operations continue across the Philippines after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the island, trapping people under collapsed buildings and killing at least 35.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.Philippines earthquake leads to landslides, raising death toll to at least 32VideoFact check: Real vs. fake Philippines earthquake footageThe other deaths were reported in the southern provinces of South Cotabato and Davao Occidental, and on Balut Island, disaster-response officials said.About 2,000 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, forcing the cancellation of 63 domestic flights except for those on humanitarian mission.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.Strongest quake since 1976Authorities 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.It was the strongest Philippine quake since 1976.One of the worst hit cities was General Santos where at least 13 people were killed in collapsed buildings and due to falling debris. (Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)Monday's earthquake was centered at sea at a depth of 33 kilometres, about 32 kilometres 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 metres ( that engulfed several towns and provinces, Bacolcol said.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.