Key headlines
- A strong MW 7.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Mindanao in southern Philippines on the morning of June 8 at 07:37 am local time.
- Some of the most serious damage has been reported in General Santos City, where several buildings have collapsed.
- Landslides have occurred, along with widespread damage to roads, bridges and to power and water supplies in the area.
- The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued an alert for the region. Some tsunami damage was reported in the local area, and waves were later measured in Japan and Indonesia, although no damage outside of the Philippines has been reported.
- At the time of writing, there have been 46 fatalities reported, with 17 missing and several hundred injured. Hundreds of aftershocks have occurred, and the death toll is expected to rise.
- The quake was also felt in parts of Indonesia, with only minor damage reported.
- The Philippines Insurers and Reinsurers Association (PIRA) has stated that while there will be insured losses, it is too early to assess at this stage.
- AM Best has reported that as the uptake rate of insurance is low in the Philippines, especially outside of Manila, there is expected to be a large divergence between insured and economic losses.