On June 15th, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck in southern Philippines. The earthquake happened at 7:37 a.m., at southern edge of the island of Mindanao. It killed 35 people and injured at least 114. A mall and most of a restaurant were destroyed. There were as many as 138 aftershocks. A tsunami was triggered after the earthquake, and tremors were felt as far as Indonesia. This also triggered landslides. “Our pickup truck suddenly jerked and I thought we had a flat tire,” Rod Sosmeña, a regional director of the Office of Civil Defense, told The Associated Press from General Santos, where he was traveling when the quake struck at 7:37 a.m. “The shaking was very strong and people dashed out of houses into the streets,” Sosmeña said.

Philippines is unfortunately located on the Pacific Ring of Fire. This is where frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions happen. Some countries in the Pacific Ring of Fire are Japan, Taiwan, and New Zealand. This horrible event led to a traumatizing first day of school after summer break. Most fatalities were caused by collapsed structures and deadly landslides, particularly in General Santos and Glan. The earthquake forces the temporary shutdown of the General Santos City Airport.

The last major earthquake in Philippines hit on October 10, 2025. Two earthquakes struck the Davao Oriental region, measuring 7.4 and 6.8 in magnitude. However, this earthquake left school children scared and shocked. The Philippines do not have an “earthquake season”, as their history of earthquakes have not followed a pattern, rather just going in a random order.

Sources used

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/a-7-8-magnitude-quake-in-the-philippines-kills-at-least-32-collapses-buildings-and-triggers-tsunami

https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/07/asia/southern-philippines-mindanao-earthquake-intl-hnk