In a sudden and alarming event, the southern region of the Philippines was struck by a devastating magnitude-7.2 earthquake. The seismic activity, originating west of Sarangani in Davao Occidental province, triggered widespread evacuations and inflicted significant damage to infrastructure. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology pinpointed the quake’s epicenter and confirmed its tectonic origin, with the tremor occurring at 4:14 p.m. local time on Friday.
The institute also provided reassurance that there was no imminent tsunami threat following the quake. The earthquake’s impact was immediately felt across several provinces, prompting urgent response measures. In General Santos City, patients were rapidly evacuated from a local hospital, ensuring their safety amidst the chaos. Similarly, in Davao City, office workers were seen fleeing their buildings, as captured in social media posts by ABS-CBN News. These evacuations highlight the widespread alarm and urgency triggered by the quake.
The quake’s wrath was not limited to public panic; it also left a trail of physical destruction. At a shopping mall in General Santos, owned by the prominent SM Prime Holdings Inc., debris from the ceiling littered the floor, showcasing the force of the earthquake. In a more severe incident, a crane dramatically collapsed onto a building under construction in Davao City. These events, reported by state-run Radyo Pilipinas on X (formerly known as Twitter), underscore the extensive structural damage caused by the quake.