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Dozens of people were killed and more than two hundred injured on Monday after a powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck the Philippines.
The tremor struck south of the island of Mindanao, shaking at least twenty-two million people with severe or moderate force. Officials confirmed at least thirty-two deaths, more than two hundred injuries, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of residents in what was described as the strongest earthquake to hit the country in nearly four decades.
The quake prompted tsunami warnings across the region, although American officials quickly stated that Hawaii faced no threat. Warnings were also issued for nearby areas including Taiwan, Japan, Guam, and Papua New Guinea.
"The national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind," said Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. "I am in constant communication with our regional offices and local chief executives on the ground."
Mindanao is the second-largest island in the Philippines and is home to more than twenty-seven million people. Earthquakes are common in the region. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, at least thirty-five earthquakes measuring above magnitude 7 have struck the area since 1900.
Marcos Jr. also announced that he had ordered "the suspensions of all classes in all levels across affected areas in Mindanao until further notice. The safety of our children comes first."He urged residents to take tsunami warnings seriously, telling them to "move to higher ground now. Do not wait. Your life is more important than anything left behind."
The U.S. Geological Survey estimated a 42 percent chance that the death toll would fall between ten and one hundred people, and a 32 percent chance that fatalities could range from one hundred to one thousand. The agency also estimated a 39 percent probability that economic losses would total between one hundred million dollars and one billion dollars. Officials said the earthquake was caused by thrust faulting, a process in which one section of the Earth's crust moves upward over another along a fault line.
One local resident told The New York Times that he rushed to higher ground with his young daughter after the earthquake struck.
"I was very scared, my knees were trembling," Julius Golez said. "We were crying; so many other people were also crying."
The U.S. Geological Survey estimated a 42 percent chance that the death toll would fall between ten and one hundred people, and a 32 percent chance that fatalities could range from one hundred to one thousand. The agency also estimated a 39 percent probability that economic losses would total between one hundred million dollars and one billion dollars. Officials said the earthquake was caused by thrust faulting, a process in which one section of the Earth's crust moves upward over another along a fault line.
One local resident told The New York Times that he rushed to higher ground with his young daughter after the earthquake struck.
"I was very scared, my knees were trembling," Julius Golez said. "We were crying; so many other people were also crying."
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