A magnitude-7.8 earthquake has left at least 19 people dead and almost 150 injured after shaking part of the southern Philippines early on Monday. At least 12 people are missing, although these numbers are still being verified and could rise, according to a spokesperson for Agence France-Presse.
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Buildings were seen collapsing and video verified by the Guardian shows the collapse of the upper floor of a popular fast food chain restaurant as well as the outer concrete walls of a commercial complex. The office of civil defence warned people to avoid entering damaged homes or other infrastructure owing to the threat of aftershocks.
The president of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, said evacuation centres were ready and operational and that government agencies would continue to assess damage and clear the routes needed for rescue operations.
The Philippines is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries and is often hit by 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 typhoons and tropical storms a year.
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