Pictures from the Philippines earthquake (Video/X)
Several videos circulating on social media captured terrifying scenes of collapsed buildings after a powerful 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Philippines on Monday, according to Bloomberg.
The earthquake sparked tsunami warnings and led to evacuations in affected areas.High school and university buildings were among the buildings that were damaged by the strong earthquake that shook parts of the country. The earthquake occurred off the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, and initial assessments warned of possible damage and dangerous tsunami waves.
According to videos circulating online, many buildings were seen collapsing into rubble while the ground shook violently.
In one of the clips filmed outside the school campus, students were seen gathering in an open area as a precaution as the building collapsed.
Reuters reported that the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) initially estimated the strength of the earthquake at 8.2, which then revised its estimates. Other monitoring agencies reported varying scores ranging from 7.0 to 7.8.Read also | A magnitude 8.2 earthquake strikes off the coast of Mindanao in the Philippines; A tsunami warning has been issuedThe earthquake killed at least one person and injured four others, according to Agence France-Presse.
Police said that a number of buildings and houses collapsed in the affected areas, while rescue operations are still underway.“Many buildings were affected, but I cannot enumerate them now because we are busy with ongoing rescue operations,” said Sergeant Robert Dagon of General Santos City Police. “A number of buildings collapsed. Some houses also collapsed.”Authorities in the Philippines and neighboring Indonesia issued tsunami warnings after the quake struck at a depth of about 10 kilometers.
The US Tsunami Warning System also warned of a potential tsunami threat in parts of the Pacific region.
According to Philippine authorities, tsunami waves exceeding a meter in height are likely, and could continue for several hours after the earthquake.Officials reported damage to several buildings, including part of a building in the southern city of General Santos that collapsed following the quake. Hospitals evacuated patients, while schools moved students to safer locations on the first day of school in some areas, Bloomberg reported.Benji Ancheta, police chief of the town of Alabil in Sarangani province, told Reuters that the police station suffered cracks immediately after the quake.“This is the strongest earthquake we have ever seen,” Ancheta said. A 6.1-magnitude aftershock was recorded in the southern Philippines hours after an 8.1-magnitude earthquake struck the country, according to the US Geological Survey.The Philippines is located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the most seismically active regions in the world, making the country highly vulnerable to earthquakes and volcanic activity.
