A magnitude 7.8 earthquake in the southern Philippines has led to a significant loss of life and an unusual rise in the level of the seabed.

菲律賓南部發生一次 7.8 級地震，導致嚴重傷亡，並造成海床水平異常上升。

The earthquake started in the Cotabato Trench, an area known for being unstable, as shown by several small tremors recorded in January. This geological movement caused the seabed to rise by about two meters, a process known as coastal uplift. Consequently, the coastlines in the provinces of Sarangani and Davao Occidental extended by up to 200 meters.

這次地震始於科塔巴托海溝（Cotabato Trench），該地區向來不穩定，一月份記錄到的幾次小規模震動便證明了這一點。這次地質變動導致海床上升約兩公尺，此過程稱為「海岸抬升」。因此，薩朗加尼省（Sarangani）與達沃西方省（Davao Occidental）的海岸線延伸了多達 200 公尺。

Reports from the environment department emphasize that this rise in land has exposed large areas of seagrass beds and coral reefs. Because these habitats dried out, many marine animals, such as mollusks, eels, and reef fish, have died. Although the exact size of the ecological damage is not yet known because the survey area is so large, officials have documented many dead aquatic animals. Furthermore, local residents expressed concern about potential toxic gases coming from decaying organic matter on the newly exposed land.

環境部門的報告強調，這次土地上升導致大面積的海草床與珊瑚礁暴露在外。由於這些棲息地乾涸，許多海洋生物（如軟體動物、鰻魚及礁魚）因此死亡。雖然由於調查範圍過大，目前尚不清楚生態損害的確切規模，但官員已記錄到大量海洋動物死亡。此外，當地居民對新暴露土地上有機物腐爛可能產生的有毒氣體表示擔憂。

The region is currently dealing with a humanitarian crisis, with 61 confirmed deaths and 40 people missing, while environmental damage continues.

該地區目前正處於人道危機中，已確認 61 人死亡及 40 人失蹤，而環境損害仍在持續。