20,000 people were displaced due to the Philippine earthquake, which killed at least 37 people

GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines – Rescue workers searched damaged buildings in the southern Philippines on Tuesday to make sure no one was trapped a day after the strongest earthquakes to hit the country in half a century killed at least 37 people and displaced more than 32,000.

Only four people were considered missing in official records in southern provinces near where the 7.8-magnitude quake struck on Monday morning, but the Civil Defense Office acknowledged that many collapsed and badly damaged buildings should be checked for survivors or potential victims.

The earthquake, whose epicenter was off the island of Mindanao, the second most populous Philippine island, injured nearly 500 people and displaced more than 32,000 people, most of whom fled to emergency shelters.

Many people who left their homes feared a tsunami. Waves as high as 1.4 meters (4.6 ft) above tide level were measured in the Philippines, but the only damage reported from the tsunami was to six huts on stilts in a coastal village. Smaller waves washed ashore in Indonesia, Palau and as far away as southern Japan.

The earthquake left extensive damage, including in General Santos City, a vibrant coastal city of more than 700,000 people known as the country’s tuna capital, where at least 13 people were killed in collapsed buildings and falling debris.

At least 18 people died in Sarangani province, most of them in a landslide that buried homes in the mountainside town of Glan, said Rafaelito Alejandro of the Civil Defense Office.

Disaster response officials said the other deaths were reported in South Cotabato and South Davao Occidental provinces and on Balut Island.

About 2,500 homes and 117 government buildings and facilities were damaged in several governorates, according to a preliminary government assessment of the damage. General Santos International Airport remained closed for the second day, resulting in the cancellation of 63 domestic flights except for those designated for humanitarian missions.

About 6,000 public school buildings in quake-affected provinces must be evaluated before classes resume. The quake occurred on the first day of school across the country after a two-month summer break, and many of those injured were young students who had enthusiastically gathered for the morning flag-raising ceremony.

Authorities have warned that buildings exposed to cracks may collapse due to aftershocks, some of which are dangerously strong.

“We cannot force the reopening of schools immediately because we have to ensure the safety of the buildings,” Alejandro said.

The epicenter of Monday’s earthquake was at sea at a depth of 33 kilometers (20 miles), about 32 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of the town of Maasim in Sarangani province.

The quake was triggered by movement in the Cotabato Trench and was the strongest since the undersea depression triggered an 8.1-magnitude earthquake and triggered a tsunami on Aug. 17, 1976, said Teresito Bakulcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

Bakulkul said about 8,000 people were killed by the earthquake and tsunami waves 8 to 10 meters (26 to 33 feet) high that swept through several towns and provinces.

The Philippine Seismological Institute was scheduled to mark the anniversary of the 1976 earthquake and tsunami in August by erecting markers to remind towns and cities at risk of the need for constant vigilance, Bakulkol told The Associated Press.

The 1990 7.8-magnitude earthquake also killed more than 1,000 people, injured thousands and caused extensive damage in northern provinces and cities.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. dispatched senior defense officials from Manila to help supervise search and rescue operations, distribute tens of thousands of food packages and construction materials to earthquake victims and assess damage to bridges, roads and other infrastructure facilities.

The United States, an ally of the Philippines, said it was coordinating with Manila and was ready to support Philippine response efforts. France, Japan and New Zealand also expressed their support.

The Philippines is frequently exposed to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the ocean.

The archipelago is also hit by about 20 hurricanes and tropical storms every year, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.

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Gomez reported from Manila, Philippines. AP journalists Basilio Sepe in General Santos, Philippines, and Haruka Noga in Bangkok contributed to this report.

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