A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Monday, killing at least 38 people, injuring more than 470, and displacing over 40,000 residents, while four million students lost access to schools after hundreds of classrooms collapsed at the start of the academic year, according to figures confirmed on Tuesday by the National Council for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management of the Philippines.

Authorities report 2,505 damaged homes, 460 of which were completely destroyed, and 31,701 people are now housed in temporary shelters. Numerous areas on Mindanao remain without electricity or drinking water. One school‑age child is among the dead, dozens of children have received medical care, and thousands are among the displaced.

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The hardest‑hit areas include General Santos City, declared in a “state of calamity” by local NGO Kidlikasan, with at least 12 deaths from building collapses and falling debris. The city of 530,000 inhabitants faces an uncertain final death toll because roads and bridges have collapsed, isolating entire communities.

The municipalities of Maasim, Malapatan, and Glan also suffered severe damage; in Glan, a landslide buried several homes, causing additional fatalities. Government buildings, residences, roads, and bridges across Mindanao sustained significant structural damage.

The United Nations has called for prioritizing minors in humanitarian aid. Save the Children Philippines’ Faisah Ali identified urgent needs: drinking water, safe shelter, and psychosocial support for traumatized children. Executive director Pebbles Sanchez-Ogang warned that displacement and school closures increase long‑term risks of violence and exploitation.

The Philippine archipelago, located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, experiences about 7,000 earthquakes annually.

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