7.8 Magnitude Earthquake Kills 19 and Injures 200 in the Philippines — Buildings Collapse, Tsunami Hits Coast, Children Flee Schools in Terror

General Santos City, Mindanao, Philippines — June 8, 2026

One of the strongest earthquakes to strike anywhere in the world this year tore through the southern Philippines on Monday morning — killing at least 19 people, injuring more than 200 others, collapsing buildings and sending tsunami waves crashing into coastal communities as hundreds of thousands of terrified residents fled to higher ground.

The Earthquake

The magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Sarangani province at 7:37 AM local time on Monday, June 8, at a depth of 33 kilometers, located 32 kilometers south of Maasim, Sarangani. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) initially reported a magnitude of 7.0 before upgrading the tremor to 7.8.

The quake struck near General Santos City during morning flag-raising ceremonies at schools, causing buildings to collapse and triggering widespread panic.

The initial earthquake was followed by more than an hour of aftershocks, according to PHIVOLCS.

The Human Cost

At least 19 people were killed, mostly in collapsed buildings and landslides, while thousands of villagers were displaced, according to Office of Civil Defense spokesperson Junie Castillo.

At least 19 people were killed and over 200 others injured in the aftermath.

At least 12 people were reported missing in General Santos City by the national police.

The Scenes on the Ground

Photos from the local information office in General Santos City showed convenience stores crumbling and sheets of concrete layered on top of each other. Social media video showed dozens of terrified elementary schoolchildren crouching down outdoors as the ground beneath them swayed violently in the province of Davao Occidental, after the quake hit when public schools started the new academic year.

Police spokesperson Robert Dagun told a local radio station that parts of General Santos City's St Elizabeth Hospital were severely damaged, forcing patients and medical personnel to evacuate and temporarily operate outside the main hospital building.

The Tsunami

PHIVOLCS advised residents of at least nine provinces in Mindanao to evacuate immediately from coastal areas, warning that tsunami wave heights of more than one meter above normal tides were expected.

The earthquake sent a 1-meter (3-foot) tsunami into nearby coasts. Six shanties on stilts were damaged in a coastal village in Zamboanga del Sur due to the quake and taller waves.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the threat of a tsunami largely passed about five hours after the quake. Philippine officials also lifted the tsunami warning by mid-afternoon.

The Damage

The Department of Public Works and Highways confirmed that damage to property caused by the earthquake has reached 1 billion pesos in General Santos City alone. "Obviously, this is very strong. This is one of the strongest earthquakes in the world this year," DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said.

A maximum intensity of VII — rated "Destructive" on the PHIVOLCS earthquake intensity scale — was recorded at General Santos City.

The Government Response

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged residents to evacuate to higher ground as tsunami warnings were issued across the region.

President Marcos ordered the cancellation of classes and directed disaster-response agencies to immediately get to work in quake-hit provinces, saying "the national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind."

A Region With a Deadly History

In 1976, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake and tsunami along the same trench killed 8,000 people.

Monday's earthquake — while devastating — triggered a response far more coordinated than the country has historically been able to mount, reflecting decades of investment in early warning systems, evacuation protocols and disaster preparedness.

The warning systems worked. The evacuation orders came quickly. Lives were saved.

But 19 people did not make it home on Monday morning. And for the families of the missing in General Santos City — the search is not over.

DeSanta News will continue to update this story as the death toll and damage assessments are confirmed by Philippine authorities.