A powerful 6.8 magnitude undersea earthquake rocked the Philippines on Friday, Nov. 17, officials said. The quake occurred in the southern Mindanao region at 4:14 p.m. local time. Although initially logged as having a magnitude of 7.2, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) later downgraded the earthquake to 6.8m, local news reported.
There is currently no tsunami warning in effect, and no immediately reported injuries or casualties. However, Amor Mio, the police chief of Koronadal city, near the quake’s epicenter, told Reuters they were still checking.
Videos shared by a local news outlet appear to show people evacuating from a hospital and huddling on the floor of a shopping mall, amid thunderous shakes in General Santos city in South Cotabato.
Further footage shows the quake causing signs and antennas on the top of a 17-story building to shake. The building’s employees were safely evacuated, local media shared. The earthquake is also reported to have cracked and shut down the Old Buayan Bridge, which joins General Santos and Sarangani.
Meanwhile, radio announcer Leny Aranego is quoted as telling the local DZRH radio station that the quake damaged walls and toppled computers from desks.
TINGNAN: Nagdulot ng pangamba sa isang mall sa General Santos City nang yumanig at maglaglagan ang debris sa kasagsagan ng magnitude 6.8 na lindol na naitala ang episentro sa Davao Occidental. (📹: Gregorio Narajos) | via Chat Ansagay pic.twitter.com/55cqdi9Rei
— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) November 17, 2023
Earthquakes are common in the Philippines. The country lies on the “Ring of Fire,” a belt of volcanoes circling the Pacific Ocean, prone to seismic activity.
Per Reuters, PHIVOLCS’ director, Teresito C. Bacolcol, told radio station DZRH that the earthquake was “destructive, so we would expect damage.” Power is currently out in some parts of the southern Philippines, local media reported. The Philippine Red Cross has shared via Facebook that it is “providing first aid and medical attention to students who collapsed.”
According to a local reporter, the airport in General Santos City sustained minor damage, including hairline cracks along columns in the building. They reported that no injuries have been logged among passengers or employees.
The government of General Santos City shared an advisory warning to locals via Facebook, urging people to “remain calm but vigilant,” while staying alert for possible aftershocks. City government work was suspended pending structural integrity assessments. However, “offices whose functions involve the delivery of basic and health services” were to remain active.
With additional reporting from Chad de Guzman.