The earthquake occurred at 7:42 p.m. local time (1142 GMT) at a depth of 65.7 km (41 miles), with its epicenter located about 21 km southwest of the town of Sarangani on Mindanao island, according to the USGS.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage following the quake. Authorities also issued no tsunami warning, indicating that the earthquake was not expected to generate hazardous sea waves.

Data shared by earthquake monitoring platform GlobalQuake indicated that approximately 6.4 million people experienced the tremor, with an estimated 168,100 people located in areas where shaking was strongest. The figures were preliminary and had not been independently verified by Philippine authorities.

The latest earthquake struck in one of the world’s most seismically active regions. The Philippines lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a vast arc of seismic faults and volcanoes where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur frequently due to the movement of tectonic plates.

The tremor comes less than three weeks after a major earthquake struck the same part of the southern Philippines, leaving more than 80 people dead and highlighting the region’s continued vulnerability to seismic hazards.

Rescue operations continued in General Santos City, one of the areas hardest hit by Monday’s earthquake, after a strong aftershock forced emergency personnel to evacuate a partially collapsed three-story grocery building where search teams were looking for a missing employee.

Approximately 30 firefighters and coast guard personnel scrambled to safety when fresh tremors shook the damaged structure, sending concrete debris crashing from the building. Rescue operations were temporarily halted while authorities reassessed safety conditions at the site.

The earthquake, among the strongest to strike the Philippines in decades, caused widespread destruction across southern Mindanao, the country’s second-most populous region. Officials said more than 25,000 people remained displaced, many housed in 45 government-run evacuation centers as persistent aftershocks heightened fears of additional building collapses.

Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said the earthquake had generated more than 2,100 aftershocks, including several reaching magnitudes of up to 6.4. Such tremors remain capable of causing further structural damage and casualties, he said.

Authorities reported that more than 3,100 homes were damaged along with 29 roads, 11 bridges and over 100 government buildings. The international airport in General Santos sustained damage and remains closed to commercial operations, although government and military flights carrying relief supplies and disaster-response personnel continue to operate.

Education officials said roughly 6,000 public school buildings in affected provinces would require safety inspections before classes could resume. The earthquake struck on the first day of the new academic term following a two-month summer break, leaving many students among those injured.

Most fatalities were attributed to falling debris from collapsed structures and landslides in General Santos and the neighboring provinces of Sarangani, South Cotabato and Davao Occidental. Authorities also reported one death linked to unusually strong sea currents generated after the quake.

The Philippine Coast Guard said seven swimmers near General Santos were swept away shortly after the earthquake. Three were rescued, one returned to shore independently, one drowned and two remain missing.

Seismologists said the earthquake originated in the Cotabato Trench, an undersea fault system off southern Mindanao. The trench was also responsible for the devastating 8.1-magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 1976 that killed about 8,000 people.

Located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines is among the world’s most disaster-prone countries and regularly experiences earthquakes and volcanic activity due to intense tectonic movement beneath the region.

The quake, the strongest to hit the Philippines this year, struck off the coast of Mindanao island at 7:37 a.m. local time, causing widespread panic and disruption across several southern provinces.

Authorities said the death toll rose after at least 17 fatalities were reported in Sarangani province, where a landslide buried homes in the mountainous town of Glan.Rene Punzalan, a disaster mitigation official in Sarangani, said 13 villagers were killed in the landslide, while four others died elsewhere in the province.

The new casualties brought the overall death toll from the earthquake to at least 32.The earthquake damaged buildings, disrupted transportation and displaced thousands of residents. Philippine disaster officials said most fatalities were caused by collapsing structures, landslides and falling debris across the provinces of Sarangani, South Cotabato, Davao Occidental and nearby Balut Island.

In General Santos City, a regional commercial hub with a population of more than 700,000, several buildings were severely damaged or collapsed, including a popular fast-food restaurant. Seven people were reported killed in the city, while police said at least 12 others remained missing.

Search and rescue operations were underway at damaged structures, including a warehouse and commercial buildings, according to emergency responders.President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the suspension of classes in affected areas and directed national disaster agencies to mobilize emergency assistance.

Officials said more than 100 students suffered minor injuries or fainted during school flag-raising ceremonies as the quake struck shortly after public schools reopened following the summer break.The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the earthquake occurred near Maasim town in Sarangani province at a depth of about 33 kilometers.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimated the depth at 55 kilometers, differences that are common during initial assessments.Authorities recorded multiple aftershocks, including tremors reaching magnitude 6.5, and warned residents to avoid returning to damaged buildings until structural inspections are completed.The quake generated tsunami warnings across parts of the Pacific.

Waves of up to 1.4 meters were recorded along sections of the Philippine coastline, while smaller waves were detected in Indonesia, Palau and Japan.The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center later said the broader tsunami threat had largely passed, prompting Philippine authorities to lift evacuation warnings by mid-afternoon.

The earthquake temporarily shut General Santos International Airport and led to the cancellation of 17 domestic flights, according to aviation authorities.Situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines is among the world’s most disaster-prone countries and frequently experiences major earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tropical cyclones.

The quake was 370 km (229.9 miles) southeast of Ambon, Indonesia and estimated at a depth of 146 km, EMSC added. There was no tsunami threat from the earthquake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PWTC) said.

EMSC had initially reported it as magnitude 6.8.

Around 200 employees and their families of state electricity department Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) gathered at Tajung Lesung beach for year-end celebrations, where the rockstars of rock-band Seventeen were performing, when the Tsunami hit them unexpectedly.

The devastating tsunami has claimed over 168 lives, while hundreds have been injured, and the death rates keep rising.

Among the dead are four members of the band – bassist M Awal Purbani, guitarist Herman Sikumbang, road manager Oki Wijaya, and crewmember Ujang, while the band’s drummer is still missing.

Zack, a crewmember of the band said in his Instagram post, “Underwater I could only pray – Jesus Christ help.”

“In the final seconds I almost ran out of breath,” he added. Eventually, he survived by clinging to part of the collapsed stage.

Yulia Dian, manager of the band told Reuters, “the survivors are treated at local hospitals and clinics, but they cannot return to Jakarta due to road blockade.”

“They’d been sharing stories they were having fun at the beach and we didn’t expect this,” he added.

The cause of the tsunami is attributed to the underwater landslide after the eruption of the Anak Krakatau volcano.