M7.4, M6.8 tremors leave at least 6 dead, trigger mass evacuation
TWO powerful earthquakes struck off the coast of Davao Oriental on Friday—a magnitude 7.4 in the morning and a magnitude 6.8 in the evening, killing at least six people and triggering mass evacuations, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.
The magnitude 7.4 earthquake hit about 20 kilometers off Manay town at 9:43 a.m., triggering regional tsunami warnings that were later lifted.
At around 7.12 p.m., the magnitude 6.8 tremor struck offshore of Manay again, this time about 36 kilometers away, prompting fresh tsunami warnings.
The evening quake was tectonic in origin, while the one earlier in the day was triggered by a movement of the Philippine Trench, Phivolcs said.
“These two earthquakes, M7.4 and M6.8, may be possibly considered as doublet earthquake. They are distinct or different earthquakes in almost the same area with two (or more) main shocks that have slight difference in magnitude. This happens when faults or trenches are causing the stress to trigger a sequence of events,” Phivolcs said.
The latest earthquakes struck 11 days after a 6.9-magnitude one killed 75 and injured 1,271 others in Cebu province and neighboring areas.
Three miners tunnelling for gold were killed when their shaft collapsed in the mountains west of Manay, rescue official Kent Simeon of Pantukan town told Agence France Presse. One miner was pulled out alive and several others were injured, he said.
“Some tunnels collapsed, but the miners managed to get out. In that particular area, only one incident was reported,” Simeon said, adding that rescuers were withdrawing from the remote site of Gumayan, accessible only by dirt bikes.
One person was killed when a wall collapsed in Mati city, the largest population hub near the quake’s epicenter, while a local man suffered a fatal heart attack, local officials said.
Another person was killed in Davao City, a city government statement said without giving details.
The Office of Civil Defense, however, said it was still validating the reported three deaths.
More than 100 aftershocks have been recorded, some of them with at least a magnitude of 5.0.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered full government mobilization to help affected residents and activate emergency communication lines.
“We are now assessing the situation on the ground and ensuring that everyone is safe,” the President said in a statement.
“To our kababayans in the affected regions, please stay alert and calm. Move to higher ground and stay away from the shore until authorities declare it safe. Your safety is our top priority.”
“We are working round the clock to ensure that help reaches everyone who needs it,” Mr. Marcos added.
Wes Caasi, a local official in Tagum city, northwest of Manay, said a government event at the city hall was thrown into chaos as “the people panicked, they screamed and ran.”
Confirming videos that circulated on social media, Caasi said she saw city workers scrambling down a metal Christmas tree they were decorating when the quake struck.
Other witnesses said they saw students and workers pour out of schools, office buildings and shopping malls.
A portion of the Tagum City Hall in Davao del Norte also suffered minor damages.
Christine Sierte, a teacher in the town of Compostela, said she was in the middle of an online meeting when the violent shaking started.
“It was very slow at first, then it got stronger…. That’s the longest time of my life. We weren’t able to walk out of the building immediately because the shaking was so strong,” she said.
“The ceilings of some offices fell, but luckily no one was injured,” she said, adding that some of the school’s approximately 1,000 students “suffered panic attacks and difficulty in breathing.”
Dianne Lacorda, a police officer in Davao Oriental province, said power and communication lines had been severed and authorities were struggling to assess the damage in some areas.
The provincial government said on Facebook that it had suspended classes “until further notice” and had sent non-essential public workers home.
Earthquakes are a near-daily occurrence in the Philippines, which is situated on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
According to acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez, all airports and seaports in Mindanao and even in the Visayas are operational following the strong earthquake.
Lopez, however, ordered the postponement of the Siargao International Surfing Cup 2025, which is scheduled from October 23 to 31.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines deployed troops to assist in rescue and relief operations in areas affected by the earthquake, military chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said.
The Philippine National Police also mobilized assets and personnel to aid affected individuals, PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño said.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Field Office 11- Davao Region also activated its Mobile Command Center, a fully-equipped operations hub enabling real-time communication, monitoring, and coordination with field teams, even in areas where communication lines may be unstable.
DSWD Field Office 11 has 103,614 family food packs (FFPs), 5,000 ready-to-eat food (RTEF) boxes, and 30,019 non-food items (NFIs) strategically prepositioned in the region.
The NFIs include 4,640 family kits, 124 hygiene kits, 5,893 kitchen kits, 7,109 sleeping kits, 504 family tents, 11,108 modular tents, 291 laminated sacks, and 350 tarpaulin rolls.
United Nations Philippines Resident Coordinator Arnaud Peral said the global organization is currently assessing the situation in the country after it experienced successive earthquakes in Cebu and Davao Oriental.
Officer-in-Charge and Deputy Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Philippines Maya Faisal likewise mentioned that they offer cash assistance as part of their initiative to promote climate resilience. With AFP
“In response to the earthquake in Cebu, we have provided support to the community. We continuously coordinate with the authorities and activate our networks in collaboration with civil society. If the necessary protocols are in place and there is a demand, we are ready to assist the region, as we always have,” Peral said.
