On June 8, 2026, a powerful Mw 7.8 earthquake struck offshore southern Mindanao, Philippines, at 07:37:40 PhST, caused by subduction along the Cotabato Trench. The quake, occurring at a depth of roughly 33–57 km, killed at least 106 people, injured over 1,300, and left 7 missing, making it one of the most destructive in the country in five decades. The worst-hit areas included General Santos, Sarangani, South Cotabato, and Davao Occidental, where over 138,500 homes were damaged or destroyed, with shaking reaching a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). The event resulted from thrust faulting near the junction of the Cotabato and Sangihe Trenches, where the Sunda Plate subducts beneath the Philippine Mobile Belt—a region with a history of devastating quakes, such as the 1976 magnitude 8.0 event on the same trench that killed 8,000 people. The earthquake also caused severe damage, one death, and several injuries on the Sangihe and Talaud Islands in Indonesia, highlighting the cross-border impact of this major tectonic event.