The Philippines is recovering after the strongest earthquake in decades Filipino

It was just before midnight when a rescue team recovered the body from the rubble of a grocery store destroyed by the strongest earthquake to hit the Philippines in half a century. The family cried at this sight.

“Although the accident is tragic, it has brought a painful solace to the family,” said Rene Baliong, head of the search and rescue team. “They have a body to bury.”

For days, rescuers searched through the wreckage in General Santos City on Mindanao, the country’s second-most populous island, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked the area, triggering a tsunami warning and killing at least 55 people.

The Baleung team worked non-stop for several days searching for bodies under the collapsed grocery store, and their spirits were lifted after the recovery of a still alive victim on Tuesday. Dozens are still missing while at least 1,120 people have been injured. More than 45,000 people were displaced, most of whom fled after a tsunami warning was sent to Mindanao in the south of the country.

An aerial view of damaged homes following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on June 10, 2026 in Glan, Sarangani Province, Philippines. Photography: Ezra Akayan/Getty Images

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

The earthquake left massive damage, including a landslide that buried homes and killed 18 people in the mountainside town of Glan. In the nearby city of General Santos, at least 13 people were killed when buildings collapsed.

At least 19 major commercial buildings in the city were damaged, including a mall and a hotel, while more than 19,000 homes were damaged.

Rodrigo Sosmina, regional director of the Civil Defense Office, said that in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, the government was working to provide food and water purification mechanisms after city pipes burst during the quake.

Rufa Kajoko Guyam, a university professor and resident of General Santos, said it was not easy to buy basic necessities because major shopping malls were closed. “I am now walking around the city looking for a supermarket to buy food and water,” Guillam said.

Residents work to repair water supply systems on a cracked road after the deadly earthquake that struck General Santos, Philippines, on June 10, 2026. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

In addition to the physical damage, local residents also suffered emotional trauma, as the earthquake occurred while students were returning to school after a two-month summer vacation.

“I think we’re underestimating the mental health damage that an earthquake like this can do to people, especially children,” said Drew Strobel, of the International Federation of the Red Cross. “We are already seeing that people have been severely traumatized by this event.”

He added that the earthquake occurred before school began, but many students saw their school buildings shaking as they gathered in the fields to sing the national anthem.

Ten schools were damaged and 6,000 schools remained closed for safety assessments.

Strobel added that the Red Cross is providing mental health support, providing hot meals, assisting with rescue operations and assessing the impact on people’s livelihoods, with jobs affected and tourism likely to decline.

It is also possible that recovery challenges will be exacerbated by weather. The expected El Niño could be complicated for the region by the southwest monsoon, which could lead to floods and a severe drought, according to Susmina.

He said the biggest concern was agricultural production, as the region is one of the largest rice producing areas in the Philippines, while coconut production supports the economy in some areas of Sarangania.

“These are people’s main source of livelihood, and under these abnormal weather conditions, coupled with some vulnerability caused by damaged infrastructure due to this earthquake… we are preparing ourselves,” Susmina said.

He said collecting debris after the earthquake was “not an easy task.”

With the Associated Press

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