Powerful Philippine quake leaves at least 32 feared dead, survivors recount fear

By Adrian Portugal and Jay Ereno

GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines, June 8 (Reuters) - The death toll in a powerful 7.8‑magnitude earthquake off the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Monday has risen to at least 32, with dozens of people injured, disaster officials said, as Manila stepped up search and rescue operations.

The quake, which triggered tsunami warnings across several ‌countries, hit early in the morning about 20 km (12.4 miles) off the coast of Sarangani province, with tremors felt strongly across Mindanao and 420 km away in the city of ‌Manado on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

Residents in the worst-affected location, General Santos City, home to about 700,000 people, recalled the fear they felt as tremors shook the area, saying they were unlike anything they had experienced in the past.

"It was the ​first time I experienced something that strong, that I really couldn't stop myself from tearing up. I thought about my children and my niece, what if something had happened to them?" said Jojo Calma, 44, who was driving his motorised tricycle taxi in front of a building when it collapsed.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/powerful-philippine-quake-leaves-at-least-32-feared-dead-survivors-recount-fear-134540933.html