MANILA — Several governments and travel authorities issued advisories for parts of Southeast Asia on Tuesday following a powerful earthquake off the southern Philippines that caused casualties, damaged infrastructure and briefly triggered tsunami warnings across the region, officials said.
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Mindanao on Monday morning, according to Philippine authorities and international monitoring agencies. The quake was felt across parts of the Philippines and in neighboring countries, including Indonesia, prompting emergency alerts and precautionary evacuations in some coastal areas. Tsunami warnings issued in the Philippines, Indonesia and other parts of the region were later lifted after authorities determined the immediate threat had passed.
Foreign ministries and travel advisory services in several countries urged travelers to monitor local guidance, expect transportation disruptions and avoid affected areas while rescue and recovery operations continue. Specific restrictions and recommendations varied by country, and details remained subject to change as damage assessments continued.
In the Philippines, emergency crews searched damaged buildings in General Santos City and surrounding areas, which officials identified as among the hardest-hit locations. Regional authorities reported dozens of fatalities and hundreds of injuries, while rescue operations remained underway on Tuesday. Philippine disaster officials said infrastructure damage included collapsed buildings, power outages and disruptions to water services.
“It’s difficult to accept, as a mother, that my son is still trapped there,” resident Dioslinda Deluvio told Reuters while waiting near a collapsed commercial building where rescuers were searching for survivors.
Indonesian authorities ordered precautionary evacuations in several northern coastal areas after tsunami warnings were issued. The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, known as BMKG, later lifted the warning after monitoring showed sea levels had stabilized. BMKG head Teuku Faisal Fathani said there was “no longer any significant, dangerous sea level rise” requiring continued alerts.
Authorities in Thailand said monitoring data showed no direct tsunami threat to the country, although disaster agencies continued to track developments following the earthquake. Officials urged the public to rely on information from official channels.
The earthquake, one of the strongest recorded in the Philippines in recent years, generated numerous aftershocks and prompted temporary school closures and emergency inspections of public facilities in affected areas, according to officials. The Philippines lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region of frequent seismic activity.
As of Tuesday, rescue operations were continuing in southern Mindanao, while authorities across the region maintained heightened monitoring. Travel advisories remained in effect in some jurisdictions pending further assessments, officials said.
