Last updated:
11 minutes ago
The Philippines continued emergency and recovery operations on 9 June after a powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Mindanao, killing at least 41 people, injuring more than 450 and forcing thousands from their homes. The quake, the strongest to hit the country this year, triggered tsunami warnings across parts of the Pacific before they were later lifted.
In General Santos City, one of the areas hardest hit, residents searched through damaged homes and apartment blocks to recover belongings as engineers inspected structures left cracked, partially collapsed or dangerously unstable. Roads, public buildings and utilities were also affected, while power outages were reported across parts of southern Mindanao.
At a provincial government hospital in neighbouring Sarangani, patients were moved outside as a precaution against continuing aftershocks. Authorities said more than 450 tremors had been recorded since the main quake, including several measuring between magnitude 6.5 and 6.7, slowing rescue operations and complicating access to some affected communities.
