Deadly quake strikes Philippines on first day of school year

At least 19 people were killed, along with extensive damage to hospitals, homes and classrooms.

The 7.8 magnitude quake struck at 7:37am local time (7:37pm Sunday in New York), about 32 kilometres (20 miles) offshore west of Maasim in Sarangani province, according to the UN relief coordination office, OCHA.

Mindanao, the Philippines’ second-largest and second-most populous island, is home to roughly 26 million people. The quake triggered tsunami alerts across parts of the Philippines and neighbouring countries, prompting coastal evacuations before the warnings were lifted later in the day.

Initial government reports cited by OCHA indicate that 19 people were killed, 12 remain missing and at least 134 were injured. Authorities cautioned that the figures remain provisional as assessments continue.

Over 100 aftershocks

Many of the fatalities were reported in Sarangani province, including people killed in a landslide, although those figures have not yet been verified.

More than 138 aftershocks, ranging in magnitude from 1.3 to 6.7 on the Richter scale, were recorded following the quake. Operations at General Santos International Airport were temporarily suspended before resuming on a limited basis.

Initial reports indicate widespread damage to schools, hospitals, government buildings and other structures. Power outages and telecommunications blackouts were reported in several affected areas, while damaged roads and bridges have hindered access to some communities.

Millions of students affected

The earthquake struck on the first day of the new school year for millions of students across Mindanao.

More than 3.2 million learners have been affected and classes suspended in over 6,200 public and private schools pending safety inspections and structural assessments.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said it was particularly concerned about the impact on children. Initial reports indicate injuries among some students and damage to school buildings and public facilities.

“The safety of learners and teachers must remain the top priority,” UNICEF said, adding that it had emergency supplies and cash assistance ready for rapid deployment.

Humanitarian partners are warning that the psychological impact on children could be significant from the main quake and subsequent aftershocks.

Emergency response

The Philippine Government placed national disaster management teams and agencies on “red alert” and activated the humanitarian inter-agency coordinating mechanism.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered government agencies to respond immediately, while search, rescue and retrieval operations continued throughout the day.

Government disaster management, health, education and public works teams have been deployed to affected areas. Social workers, mobile command centres and field kitchens have also been mobilized to support displaced families.

UN and partners mobilize

The UN in the Philippines issued a statement of solidarity, commending the swift actions of national and local authorities and reaffirming its readiness to support the government-led response.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is deploying staff and emergency equipment to help establish a temporary storage facility for relief supplies, while the Philippine Red Cross and other partners have also begun mobilising response teams.

Humanitarian organizations are conducting rapid assessments to identify urgent needs, while an ad hoc Humanitarian Country Team meeting is scheduled for Tuesday as authorities work to determine the full scale of one of the strongest earthquakes to strike Mindanao in recent years.