First-hand accounts from eyewitnesses in the Philippines earthquake have emerged, describing the tremors as 'very strong' and saying they could 'hardly stand'. The death toll in the quake climbed to 32 after at least 17 people were killed in a southern Philippine province, mostly due to a landslide triggered by the tremors.
An offshore 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the southern city of General Santos in the Philippines, killing at least 19 people and injuring over 200 others, mostly in damaged buildings. It also sent a 1-meter tsunami into nearby coasts, according to AP.
General Santos, a port city, is home to over 700,000 people and serves as a regional hub for the tuna export industry and other commerce.
'People dashed out of houses': Eyewitnesses recount strong tremors
The quake, the strongest this year to strike the Philippines, was a 'major' one, Teresito Bacolcol, the director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology told AP.
Rod Sosmeña, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense, told AP that the 'shaking was very strong and people dashed out of houses into the street.'
Buildings collapsing, tsunami warning: All we know about quake
Visuals during the tremors and in the aftermath showed buildings collapsing, with one of them showing a shopping centre with a Jollibee fast food restaurant turning into rubble.
A tsunami warning was sounded after the quake, with Indonesia issuing alerts for parts of Kalimantan and Sulawesi, warning that waves as high as three metres could strike the affected areas.
