Survivors of twin quakes in Philippines despair: ‘nowhere to sleep, nothing to eat’

Some slept in tents, under tarps and hammocks, inside vehicles and on mats as over 800 aftershocks struck overnight after Friday’s tremors

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Men look for items in a collapsed house in Manay on Saturday. Photo: AFP

Published: 1:15pm, 11 Oct 2025Updated: 2:45pm, 11 Oct 2025

Dazed survivors of a pair of major earthquakes in the southern Philippines awoke on Saturday to scenes of devastation, after hundreds of aftershocks rocked the region overnight.

Many coastal residents of Mindanao island had slept outdoors, fearful of being crushed to death by aftershocks of the 7.4 and 6.7 magnitude quakes that struck off the coast within hours of each other on Friday.

Philippine authorities said at least eight people were killed. Office of Civil Defence Information Officer Ezzra James Fernandez said there were no reported missing persons.

“As to the initial assessment yesterday, the [infrastructure] damage is minimal,” Fernandez said, adding that road clearing operations were ongoing and most roads were already passable.

Residents stay under a tent at the earthquake-hit Manay on Saturday. Photo: AP

In Manay, a Mindanao municipality of 40,000, people were removing debris and sweeping up broken glass from homes and other buildings on Saturday morning.

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Survivors of twin quakes in Philippines despair: ‘nowhere to sleep, nothing to eat’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Some slept in tents, under tarps and hammocks, inside vehicles and on mats as over 800 aftershocks struck overnight after Friday’s tremors

Some slept in tents, under tarps and hammocks, inside vehicles and on mats as over 800 aftershocks struck overnight after Friday’s tremors