Death Toll Rises as Twin Earthquakes Strike Philippines, Triggering Tsunami Warnings

Rescue efforts are underway across the southern Philippines after two powerful offshore earthquakes struck hours apart on Friday, killing at least seven people and triggering tsunami warnings in coastal areas.

The first quake, measured at magnitude 7.4, hit off the coast of Manay town in Davao Oriental province, shaking homes, toppling structures, and prompting tsunami alerts for regions within 300 kilometres of the epicentre. The warnings for both the Philippines and Indonesia were later lifted.

Just seven hours later, a second quake of magnitude 6.8 rocked the same region, prompting fresh tsunami alerts and widespread panic among residents. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned of potential waves reaching one metre (3.2 feet) above normal tide levels and urged people living along the coast to immediately move inland or to higher ground.

“We couldn’t stand earlier. I am 46 years old now, and this is the strongest earthquake I’ve ever felt,” said Richie Diuyen, a disaster response official in Manay, describing how the tremor cracked roads and damaged homes and a church.

According to Ednar Dayanghirang, a civil defence official, the fatalities occurred in communities near the epicentre, while several others sustained injuries from falling debris. Authorities said the full extent of the damage is still being assessed.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said emergency teams had been deployed and were “working round the clock” to reach affected areas. “We are ensuring that help reaches everyone who needs it,” he added in a statement.

Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol described the seismic events as a “doublet” — two distinct earthquakes along the same massive ocean trench off the country’s eastern seaboard.

Video footage from Davao City and neighbouring provinces showed people rushing from buildings as parked cars swayed and metal gates rattled. In Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island, residents were seen fleeing beaches as the sea briefly receded.

Phivolcs later revised the magnitudes downward to 7.4 and 6.8, with depths of 23 km and 37 km, respectively.

The Philippines sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a region prone to frequent and intense seismic activity. The twin quakes come just two weeks after the country’s deadliest tremor in more than a decade, when a magnitude 6.9 quake struck Cebu Island, killing 74 people.

Officials have warned residents to brace for strong aftershocks in the coming days as search and rescue operations continue.