Rescue Efforts Continue After Southern Philippines Earthquake
Rescuers are combing the ruins of buildings destroyed in a severe earthquake that hit the southern Philippines on Monday. As the search goes on, survivors wonder what's next.
Earthquake Strikes Mindanao: Survivors Struggle Amid Destruction
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REPORTER:
Filipino rescuers work in the dark at a building toppled in a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the southern island of Mindanao.
At least 35 people have been killed—and around a dozen are missing.
REPORTER:
In the city of General Santos, one of the worst-hit areas, there’s a sense of disbelief amid the ruins.
REPORTER:
The Philippines has earthquakes all the time—including some major ones last year.
People in this part of the south, though, are stunned and emotional after an earthquake on a scale even they are not used to.
Jojo Calma (RESIDENT):
It was the first time I had experienced something that strong. I really couldn’t stop myself from tearing up. I thought about my children and my niece, what if something had happened to them? Thank God they’re okay, but my sibling’s house collapsed.
REPORTER:
Traumatized survivors wonder what’s next.
Jayson Manarca (RESIDENT):
There is no water, no electricity, and there's been a blackout. When I got home there was no electricity or water. We are all affected, we don’t have anything to drink.
REPORTER:
Disruption is everywhere. People in the disaster zone had been getting ready for the start of a new school term.
But classes on Mindanao are canceled—and it may be some time before students at this collapsed high school will have a place to go to school again.
REPORTER:
And then there are the aftershocks—one of which peaked at magnitude 6.5.
As coastal residents evacuate, some people in General Santos are camped out on the street just in case.
Kimberly Real (RESIDENT):
We're staying here outside so if there are aftershocks, we won't struggle to evacuate from the second floor. We're afraid that we won't wake up in time if there's an aftershock.
REPORTER:
After an uneasy night, dawn arrives—and drone footage shows the extent of the rubble.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry has given its condolences. But many families here are waiting, hoping for a miracle from beneath the rubble—but also bracing for confirmation of the worst.
