A sign points the way to the tsunami evacuation route on Camp Foster, Okinawa, June 8, 2026. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was updated Monday at 8:40 a.m. EST.
Tsunami warnings rippled across the Pacific on Monday after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the southern Philippines, killing at least 32 people, damaging buildings and knocking out power in parts of Mindanao.
At least seven people were killed and 12 more were missing in General Santos, a coastal city of more than 700,000 people, where small buildings partially collapsed and a bridge cracked, Rod Sosmena, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense, told The Associated Press.
Other deaths were reported in the southern provinces of Sarangani, South Cotabato and Davao Occidental, and on Balut Island, according to the AP.
Approximately 22 million people were exposed to moderate to severe shaking, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
“Aftershocks, some potentially with strong shaking, may follow this earthquake,” the agency wrote on its website.
The quake struck at 7:38 a.m. local time at a depth of 39 miles, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu.
The epicenter was about 15 miles west-southwest of Burias, the geological survey said.
Shaking on Mindanao lasted more than a minute, said American Michael Henshaw, who is leading a team from the Asymmetric MIA Accounting Group searching for the remains of fallen U.S. troops on the island.
“Felt it … aftershocks now,” he told Stars and Stripes by email about 90 minutes after the initial temblor.
The earthquake prompted tsunami warnings and advisories across the region.
Waves as high as 10 feet were possible along some Philippine coastlines, while waves up to 3 feet were forecast for parts of Indonesia and Malaysia, according to the warning center.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for Okinawa, where 3-foot waves were expected, and an advisory for portions of the country’s Pacific coastline.
“Get out of the water and move away from the coast,” the 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, wrote on social media.
The wing later announced tsunami evacuation procedures, opening Gate 1 to affected off-base community members and directing evacuees to move to Gate 5.
Defense Department schools moved students from Kinser Elementary to Building 107 on Camp Kinser, and from Lester Middle School on Camp Lester to Killin Elementary School on Camp Foster, according to email Monday from school spokeswoman Miranda Ferguson. “All students and staff are safe and accounted for,” she said.
Kadena declared all clear at 1:35 p.m., according to an alert sent via the Air Force Connect phone app.
“All personnel are advised to use caution near coastal areas,” it said.
U.S. military bases elsewhere in the country reported no immediate impacts but continued monitoring conditions.
“Installations in Japan are monitoring and ensuring personnel are aware of the advisories specific to their location and that they follow the appropriate safety recommendations,” Navy Region Japan spokesman Cmdr. Joe Keiley said by email.
At Yokosuka, about 30 miles southwest of Tokyo, officials noted a roughly 3-foot tsunami advisory for Sagami Bay and the Miura Peninsula but said no waves were expected inside Tokyo Bay or at the naval base.
Sasebo Naval Base on Kyushu Island had not received any tsunami advisories affecting the installation or its operations as of late Monday morning, spokesman Aki Nichols said by email.
The United States maintains disaster-relief supplies at Philippine military bases accessible under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.
U.S. forces previously assisted Philippine authorities during responses to deadly storms in July and November.
Stars and Stripes reporters Brian McElhiney and Alex Wilson contributed to this report.
