Philippines earthquake kills at least 37, displaces 20,000

A powerful undersea quake struck near Mindanao in the Philippines on Monday morning, leaving a death toll of at least 37 people and injuring nearly 500. The tremor caused widespread damage, crushing homes in General Santos, Sarangani and other provinces, and triggering landslides that buried houses in mountainous areas. More than 20,000 residents were evacuated to emergency shelters, and an estimated 2,000 houses and 117 public buildings were damaged.

The disaster forced the closure of the General Santos international airport, cancelling 63 domestic flights, and halted the start of the school year pending safety inspections of roughly 6,000 public schools. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered a coordinated response, sending senior officials to oversee rescue, relief distribution and infrastructure assessment. The United States, France, Japan and New Zealand have pledged assistance to the Philippines' relief efforts.