Powerful quake kills 6, sparks panic in southern Philippines

China

Powerful quake kills 6, sparks panic in southern Philippines

2025-10-11 02:07 Last Updated At：14:57

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Davao Oriental province in the southern Philippines on Friday morning, killing at least six people, triggering panic and causing damage across the region.

The China Earthquake Networks Center reported that the quake struck at 9:43 local time (0143 GMT) at a depth of 50 kilometers.

Ednar Dayanghirang, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense, said three people were killed in Mati City, one in Davao City, and two in Pantukan, a mining town in Davao de Oro province.

The Davao City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office confirmed the fatality and said that 347 people were treated for fainting or minor injuries.

Hospitals and schools across the region sustained damage, and scenes of confusion unfolded as people rushed outdoors to escape falling debris.

At one school in Davao City, debris reportedly struck several students, prompting an immediate emergency response from staff and rescue teams.

Shania Aminah Dianalan, a local resident, described the terrifying shaking and chaos that unfolded as the earthquake struck.

"It was very terrifying. The earth was just shaking violently. When I first felt it, I was sleeping, and my immediate reaction was to get out of the house. And I saw a lot of people coming out of buildings, coming out of their schools or workplaces. Everything was just a chaos, and you couldn't help but feel a deep sense of fear from everything that was happening. My first reaction after getting out of the house: I had to check up on my family and my friends," she said.

The Philippines' Department of Education said the quake affected at least 12,000 schools nationwide, forcing the suspension of classes in 559 of them. At least 201 classrooms were damaged, while five students and one teacher were injured.

According to local media reports, work and classes have been suspended in Davao City, while parts of the city also experienced temporary power outages.

Japanese lawmaker criticizes nuclear weapons remarks as threat to regional security

A Japanese lawmaker has raised concerns over Japan's push to expand its military and its nuclear policy.

Responding to some politicians' dangerous tendency towards possessing nuclear weapons, Takara Sachika, a member of Japan's House of Councilors, said that Japan's push to strengthen its military, combined with what she called a misguided nuclear policy, not only heightens regional tensions but also directly threatens regional security.

"I think this is completely unacceptable. Japan is a country that has suffered atomic bombings and is one of the nations most aware of the threat posed by nuclear weapons. Yet such a country is openly discussing the issue of possessing nuclear weapons and even attempting to revise the principle of not allowing the introduction of nuclear weapons, one of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles. This is an extremely serious problem," Takara said.

Takara said the Japanese government's tendency to expand its military capabilities is completely contrary to the Constitution.

"From the perspective of Japan's Constitution, Japan should never have adopted a policy of ensuring security by strengthening military capabilities. Yet today, enormous effort is being poured into military expansion, and that in itself is a serious problem," said the lawmaker.

At a Diet meeting in early November 2025, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that what she described as the Chinese central authorities' "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, and suggested the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait, drawing strong criticism worldwide.

Takara urged Takaichi to retract her erroneous remarks as soon as possible.

"I think there is a very big problem with making such remarks that provoke other countries. It is necessary to thoroughly examine the facts as soon as possible and withdraw the relevant remarks," she said.