A responder carries a rescue dog while conducting search and rescue operations in a collapsed building after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in General Santos City on June 9, 2026. A 7.8-magnitude earthquake in the southern Philippines on June 8 killed at least 45 people, according to provincial authorities, after toppling buildings and sparking tsunami warnings across the region. Photo by Jam Sta Rosa/AFP
MANILA (UPDATE) — The death toll from the magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Mindanao has climbed to 45 as of early morning Wednesday, June 10, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said.
Outdoor hospitals, cut-off communities as Mindanao quake toll hits 41
"As of 6 a.m., 45 na ang casualties na recorded sa atin... Karamihan sa nadagdag dun sa patay [are] from Davao Occidental," OCD Deputy Administrator Raffy Alejandro IV said.
He added that more than 600 people have been injured while the number of missing persons has gone up to 17.
"Moving ang numero natin. We are continuously getting report from the field," Alejandro added.
Citing state volcanologists, Alejandro said 1,953 aftershocks have been recorded as of 6 a.m. Wednesday morning, ranging from 1.2 to 6.4 in magnitude.
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Response efforts are concentrated in Sarangani province, General Santos City, and nearby Davao Occidental.
More than 35,000 families in 199 barangays have been affected in the quake that destroyed homes, buildings, roads, and bridges.
Six thousand families have sought shelter in 45 evacuation centers throughout the affected areas. Damage to infrastructure is pegged at nearly P600 million but assessment is still ongoing.
Alejandro said food and relief packs have been distributed, along with medical kits.
Close to 4,000 personnel from the police, armed forces, coast guard, and the fire department are assisting in the search, rescue, and retrieval operations.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology on Monday said a movement in the Cotabato Trench caused the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Mindanao.
The same trench caused the 1976 Moro Gulf earthquake and tsunami that left thousands dead, Phivolcs research specialist Winchelle Sevilla.
Phivolcs: Aftershocks of Sarangani quake may last a month
Monday's quake triggered evacuation warnings for coastal areas of neighboring Indonesia and Malaysia, with Jakarta's meteorological agency subsequently lifting its alert.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing, as local governments continue to check the damage from the quake.
RECONSTRUCTION
Meanwhile, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon on Wednesday ordered the total mobilization of all public and private equipment and personnel for the reconstruction of quake-damaged structures in Mindanao.
Dizon said many buildings in Sarangani, General Santos City, South Cotabato, Davao Occidental, Davao del Sur sustained damaged following the quake, noting the scale of devastation needed the help of private contractors.
He ordered the swift reconstruction of roads to resume the delivery of humanitarian aid that has been paralyzed because of the damage.
Earlier this year, Dizon ordered the comprehensive review of the National Building Code, which is the first review in 25 years.
"Kailangan maging akma na yung building code natin para sa mas malalakas na [lindol]. Pero minsan hindi sa regulasyon ang problema. Sa implementasyon at enforcement," Dizon said.
"Kailangan maging mas strict tayo, kasama na diyan anong materyales ginagamit."
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