Philippines Earthquake Kills At Least 32, Triggers Tsunami Waves Across the Region

A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake — the strongest to strike the Philippine archipelago this year — has killed at least 32 people, triggered small tsunamis along the southern Philippine coast, and sent tremors felt as far away as southern Japan, officials confirmed Monday.

The death toll surged after a devastating landslide, set off by the quake, buried homes in the mountainous town of Glan in Sarangani province. Rene Punzalan, a disaster-mitigation official for the province, told radio network DZBB that 13 villagers perished when the landslide struck residential areas, while four additional deaths were reported elsewhere in Sarangani under circumstances that remain under investigation.

The earthquake toppled small buildings across the southern Philippines and generated tsunami waves that radiated outward across the Pacific, with smaller swells detected in Indonesia, Palau, and as far north as southern Japan.

Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), urged residents to exercise extreme caution in the aftermath. "It's a major earthquake," Bacolcol said, warning that structures already weakened by the initial quake remain at serious risk of collapse from aftershocks. He advised people to seek official guidance before returning to any damaged buildings or homes.

Authorities are continuing search and rescue operations as the full extent of casualties and structural damage is assessed.