Philippines Davao Earthquakes 2025: DREF Operation (MDRPH058)

Description of the Event

Date of event

10-10-2025

What happened, where and when?

On 10 October 2025, two powerful earthquakes struck off the coast of Manay, Davao Oriental. The first earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.4, occurred at 9:43 a.m., approximately 48 kilometers northeast of the Municipality of Manay, Davao Oriental, at a depth of 23 kilometers. The tremor was felt as far as Davao City, Davao de Oro, and across parts of Northern Mindanao, with intensities ranging from IV to V. Immediately after the first tremor, a tsunami warning was issued, prompting the evacuation of residents from several low-lying and coastal areas in Davao Oriental, Surigao del Sur, and parts of CARAGA. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) recorded a 30 cm tsunami wave along the coast of Tandag City, Surigao del Sur, at around 10:20 a.m., and lifted the warning at 1:43 p.m. on the same day.

Less than ten hours later, a second earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck the same offshore area at 7:12 p.m. The epicenter was located 43 kilometers southeast of the Municipality of Manay, Davao Oriental, with an estimated depth of 37 kilometers. The second quake was felt in the same areas affected earlier, heightening fear and worsening structural damage. This event triggered another tsunami warning, which was later cancelled at 11:12 p.m. after no tsunami waves were observed.

Both earthquakes were tectonic in origin and not related to the recent 6.9 magnitude earthquake in Cebu, which was caused by the Bogo Bay Fault. The Davao Oriental earthquakes were generated by the movement of the Philippine Trench. As the second earthquake registered a magnitude greater than 6.4, it can no longer be considered an aftershock of the main event. PHIVOLCS classified these as two separate events, referred to as a “doublet quake”, which occurred close in time and location.

The earthquakes affected most parts of Davao Oriental, Davao de Oro, and the Caraga Region, displacing thousands of families and damaging critical infrastructure, including homes, schools, hospitals, and government facilities. Within the first 48 hours following the earthquakes, PHIVOLCS recorded more than 1,310 aftershocks, the strongest of which measured 5.8 in magnitude.

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