Pregnant Woman Killed, Others Injured, Missing In Magnitude 7.6 Earthquake

A pregnant woman was killed, four others were injured and nine are reported missing in relation to a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck Mindanao, the second-largest island of the Philippines, on Saturday (December 2), BBC.com reports.

A total of 529 families were affected by the natural disaster, Philippines defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro revealed in an update on Saturday. The earthquakes led to tsunami warnings in the area that were later lifted.

The initial tremor was reported to be at 7.6-magnitude and resulted in four major aftershocks estimated at 6.0-magnitude, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

"M7.6, relatively shallow, and close enough to land to generate strong shaking in nearby communities. Our thoughts go out to the people of the Philippenes who are impacted by this earthquake," the U.S. Geological Survey wrote in a post shared on its X account.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology measured the quake at a 7.4-magnitude, with at least 600 aftershocks reported to be within the range of 1.4 and 6.2-magnitude, according to BBC.com.

A separate 6.9-magnitude earthquake was reported in Aras-asan, Philippines, on Sunday (December 3), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The Mindanao earthquake occurred nearly two weeks after a 6.7-magnitude earthquake was reported to have struck the island, which resulted in nine deaths and the ceiling of a popular mall collapsing.