A powerful magnitude 7.8 offshore earthquake struck Maasim, Sarangani on Monday morning, June 8, triggering widespread panic, infrastructure damage, and a tsunami warning that forced thousands of coastal residents across Mindanao to flee their homes.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) immediately raised red alerts and launched massive evacuation operations in vulnerable coastal communities.

“The public is advised to refrain from reentering their homes or other infrastructures, especially with signs of damage and high-rise buildings, and threat of aftershocks," warned OCD deputy spokesperson Diego Mariano.

The severe tremor, which struck at approximately 7:37 a.m., caused immediate disruptions across southern Mindanao. The OCD reported that “electricity and communications are affected” while “there are reports of major damage in various infrastructure.”

A tsunami warning issued by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) prompted PCG Commandant, Admiral Ronnie Gil L Gavan to direct all concerned Coast Guard districts, stations, and sub-stations within potentially affected areas to implement precautionary measures, disseminate tsunami warnings to coastal communities, and coordinate closely with local government units (LGUs).

The tsunami warning prompted disaster management agencies to immediately clear waterfronts and initiate evacuations across affected coastal communities.

“The PCG also advised fishermen and coastal residents to strictly comply with the tsunami warning. Owners of vessels docked in harbors and shallow coastal waters were urged to secure their boats and move away from waterfront areas while vessels already at sea were advised to remain in deep waters until further notice,” PCG spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab emphasized.

Further inland, the panic manifested in local schools where the ground violently shook. In Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, a magnitude 7.2 localized intensity left students injured and traumatized.

Personnel from Coast Guard Station (CGSS) Sta. Cruz, alongside the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (LDRRMO) rendered emergency assistance to students of Sta. Cruz National High School in Davao del Sur “who experienced panic and distress during the earthquake.”

The PCG said several students sustained minor injuries while others lost consciousness during the incident.

“The affected students were promptly rescued and transported to Marfe Hospital in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur for immediate medical evaluation and treatment,” the Coast Guard District Southeastern Mindanao (CGDSEM) confirmed.

Mariano confirmed that the most affected regions of Soccsksargen (Region 12), Davao (Region 11), Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9), and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) were being monitored for potential casualties although no confirmed data was available as of posting.

He noted that national agencies were racing against time to establish communication lines and deploy aid to isolated towns.

LDRRMOs were directed to supervise the response in their respective jurisdictions while rescue units of uniformed services were directed to be alert and ready for deployment.

In Manila, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. ordered an immediate high-level assessment of the disaster zone.

“As we speak, under the directive of President Bongbong Marcos and Secretary Teodoro, DND and OCD officials are currently heading there to assess the damage and to conduct our immediate response operations,” Mariano announced.

OCD Administrator Undersecretary Harold Cabreros scheduled an immediate flight to General Santos City to personally oversee the deployment of relief goods and personnel.

Coast Guard personnel were heavily deployed across Sarangani, Davao Occidental, Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Basilan, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Sultan Kudarat, and South Cotabato to support the evacuation, according to the PCG.