A magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit off Sarangani province at 7:37 a.m. on June 8, prompting tsunami warnings and evacuation orders for coastal areas in nine Mindanao provinces.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology initially recorded the quake at magnitude 7.0 before upgrading it to 7.8. The epicenter was located 32 kilometers south and 4 degrees west of Maasim, Sarangani, at a depth of 33 kilometers. Tsunami waves more than one meter above normal tides were expected between 7:37 a.m. and 9:37 a.m., possibly continuing for hours. Residents in Sarangani, Davao Occidental, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Sultan Kudarat, and South Cotabato were advised to move to higher ground immediately. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the Office of Civil Defense and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council were coordinating response efforts. Classes were suspended in affected areas, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development was directed to preposition relief goods. Observed intensities reached Intensity VII in General Santos City. The Department of Health activated crisis protocols at hospitals, while teams from other regions stood by for possible deployment.
