At least 35 people are confirmed dead after a major earthquake struck the southern Philippines this morning, with fears the toll will rise as rescue teams reach remote coastal villages. The 7.2 magnitude quake hit near the island of Mindanao, about 100km southeast of the city of Davao, at 6:43 am local time, triggering landslides and collapsing poorly built homes.
Local officials report that dozens more are missing, with hospitals overwhelmed by the injured. The earthquake, the strongest to hit the region in over a decade, was felt across the southern islands, causing panic among residents still scarred by the 2019 tremors. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
has ordered the military to deploy aircraft and naval vessels to assist in search and rescue operations. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has warned of aftershocks, urging coastal communities to stay vigilant for possible tsunamis. For families in the affected areas, the disaster is a brutal reminder of the fragility of life in a region where poverty forces many to live in structures that cannot withstand nature's force.
Our thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones.
