Philippines earthquake: Panic at school assembly as strongest quake in decades kills 4, injures over 200 | Video

What was supposed to be an orderly return to the classroom turned into a scene of pure terror on Monday morning, when a massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippines.

At Mahayahay Elementary School in Barangay Kilalag, located within the coastal province of Davao Occidental, hundreds of young students and teachers had just gathered on the school grounds for their mandatory morning flag-raising ceremony. At 7:37 am, strong tremors shook the region, causing panic and chaos in the assembly.

Eyewitness footage captured by school staff and shared by the Department of Education (DepEd) shows the sudden, violent onset of the earthquake. As the ground pitched and rolled, young students in school uniforms began crying out in panic, frantically grabbing onto one another and their teachers to stay upright.

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Seconds after the earthquake struck, a small tin-roofed structure behind the crowd of students collapsed.

Despite the intense shaking and the collapse of the nearby roof structure, school officials and disaster risk coordinators managed to quickly execute emergency protocols. Teachers successfully guided the children away from the main campus buildings and into the centre of the open-air grounds. No injuries were reported among the students or faculty at Mahayahay Elementary.

Videos showing parts of a shopping mall collapsing in General Santos City (Gensan) also circulated widely on social media. Several other visuals capturing the impact of the earthquake were shared online as well.

The strongest quake since 1990

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) confirmed that the 7.8-magnitude thrust-fault earthquake is the strongest to strike the country in over three decades. The earthquake has left at least four people dead and more than 200 injured, according to the Associated Press.

The epicentre was recorded just off the southern coast near Sarangani province, generating a maximum instrumental intensity of VIII ("Very Destructive"). Across southern Mindanao, the catastrophic shaking caused widespread infrastructural devastation:

A multi-story building housing a popular Jollibee fast-food restaurant and a radio studio completely caved in within General Santos City. Portions of shopping malls and parts of the Notre Dame of Dadiangas University campus also suffered heavy structural failures.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) reported critical damage to primary transmission lines, knocking out electricity, internet, and water services across a dozen provinces.

Operations at General Santos International Airport were indefinitely halted by the Civil Aviation Authority after runway and terminal damage affected 17 commercial flights.

Ongoing tsunami alerts and closures

Following the main shockwave, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr issued an urgent directive ordering residents in low-lying coastal communities to immediately seek higher ground due to a major tsunami advisory. Wave heights exceeding one metre above normal tides were anticipated along the southern bays.

While police authorities are currently verifying at least three to five fatalities across the broader Soccsksargen region, disaster management officials have officially suspended all classes and corporate operations throughout Davao Occidental and surrounding areas.

Heavy rescue teams are continuing to clear debris and assess the integrity of school facilities before students will be permitted back on campus.