Philippines Earthquake Update: Watch Terrifying Videos of Buildings Crumbling and Panicked Residents Fleeing

A massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippines on Monday morning, 8 June, leaving at least one person dead, collapsing multiple commercial buildings, and triggering urgent regional tsunami warnings that forced thousands to flee to higher ground. The powerful undersea tremor, which shook the island of Mindanao at 7:37 a.m. local time, has generated widespread panic across the region as emergency teams struggle to reach trapped survivors.

Horrifying footage capturing the exact moment multi-storey structures gave way has flooded social media platforms, highlighting the immense scale of the destruction in real time.

7.8 Quake Strikes Mindanao

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, as reported by Inquirer.net, the 7.8-magnitude earthquake was centred approximately 13 kilometres southwest of Maasim, Sarangani province. It was initially recorded at magnitude 7.0.

The major seismic event occurred at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres and was caused by a sudden movement in the Cotabato Trench. The state agency warned that the tremor had reached a highly destructive Intensity 7 in General Santos City, a major commercial hub home to more than 700,000 residents.

The offshore quake prompted immediate tsunami alerts across nine southern provinces, with ocean waves projected to reach up to three metres in height. In response to the crisis, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. suspended school classes across the affected regions of Mindanao and issued a direct order for coastal communities to evacuate inland. 'Move to higher ground now. Do not wait,' the President stated in an emergency briefing. 'Your life is more important than anything left behind.'

Compounding the disaster, a powerful 6.1 magnitude aftershock rocked the island just hours later at a depth of 67 kilometres, triggering renewed panic among displaced locals. The archipelago is highly susceptible to severe seismic activity due to its geographical position along the Pacific 'Ring of Fire', an arc of intense volcanic and tectonic activity.

Terrifying Quake Videos Flood Social Media

As the ground violently shifted, terrified locals captured astonishing mobile phone videos that quickly went viral across the globe. The most widely shared footage shows a Jollibee fast-food restaurant completely collapsed into a heap of twisted metal and concrete dust.

Viewed from another angle, employees of the fast-food chain are seen gathered on the opposite side of the road after successfully escaping the building before it crumbled. Onlookers can be heard screaming, 'The building has really collapsed!'

In another video, a commercial shopping centre in General Santos City is seen violently swaying before its front concrete facade collapses into the street below.

Aside from this, the first day of school was disrupted by the massive shaking. Another clip online shows a multi-storey building on a local school campus being crumpled under the force of the tremor.

Meanwhile, at Mahayahay Elementary School in Barangay Kilalag, Malita, Davao Occidental, students, teachers, and parents were filmed screaming out of fear during a flag ceremony. The group dropped to the ground during the violent shaking just moments before a nearby structure collapsed.

Power lines also snapped across the region, plunging major districts into immediate blackouts. A separate report confirmed massive structural damage was also recorded at General Santos International Airport, forcing officials to assess the safety of the facility. Local authorities have deployed emergency teams to inspect several compromised structures.

'Many buildings were affected, but I cannot enumerate them now because we are busy with ongoing rescues,' Master Sergeant Robert Dagon of the General Santos City police told ABS-CBN News. 'A number of buildings collapsed. Some houses also collapsed.' Disaster risk offices continue to monitor the integrity of critical infrastructure while checking for residents who may still be trapped beneath the rubble.