A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 struck off the southern Philippines on Friday morning, causing significant damage, killing one person, and prompting emergency evacuations in coastal areas due to tsunami threats. The quake occurred at 9:43 a.m. local time, with its epicentre located about 62 kilometres southeast of Manay town in Davao Oriental province, at a depth of 23 kilometres.
Authorities confirmed that the tremor was caused by movement in the Philippine Trench, a deep ocean fault line that is known to generate strong seismic activity. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has warned of possible aftershocks in the coming days.
Deputy Administrator of the Office of Civil Defence, Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV, reported that one person died after being struck by falling debris. Several buildings across affected towns showed cracked walls, including the international airport in Davao City. Despite the visible damage to the terminal, operations continued without any flight cancellations.
Witnesses recounted the chaos during the quake. Jun Saavedra, a disaster mitigation officer from Gov. Generoso town in Davao Oriental, described the scene, saying that his car swayed, power lines shook violently, and people rushed outside for safety. He noted that this was the strongest earthquake in living memory for the region and confirmed that multiple schools had wall damage.
Dozens of students from a local high school were treated for injuries such as bruises and dizziness. Classes were suspended in Manay and across nearby towns to ensure safety. In Davao City, which has a population of more than 5 million and lies roughly 250 kilometres west of the epicentre, schoolchildren were evacuated as a precaution.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Honolulu reported that small tsunami waves were recorded along parts of the Philippines and Indonesia following the quake. In the Philippines, officials warned six coastal provinces to prepare for waves that could arrive within two hours of the earthquake. Fortunately, the threat subsided after about two hours, though small fluctuations in sea level were still observed. In North Sulawesi province of Indonesia, tsunami wave heights ranged between 3.5 and 17 centimetres across several districts.
This disaster comes as the Philippines continues recovering from another strong earthquake on September 30 that measured 6.9 in magnitude. That earlier quake claimed at least 74 lives and displaced thousands in Cebu province.
The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where numerous seismic faults make earthquakes and volcanic eruptions frequent occurrences. The country also faces an average of 20 typhoons and tropical storms every year, which keeps disaster preparedness and response among the government’s highest priorities.
In an unrelated incident on Friday, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Papua New Guinea in the Bismarck Sea, northeast of Lae city. No damage was reported from that quake according to local police.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assured the public that rescue teams are ready and relief operations will be deployed once it is safe for crews to enter damaged areas. Emergency workers are already assessing the situation to provide aid to affected communities.
