An update on landslides from the 8 June 2026 M=7.8 earthquake offshore Mindanao in the Philippines
It is now clear that more than half the fatalities from last week’s earthquake in the Philippines were caused by landslides. In the areas of the Philippines affected by the 8 June 2026 M=7.8 earthquake offshore Mindanao, operations have shifted from rescue to recovery. Inquirer has an interesting report about information provided by an official from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) today. The death toll has risen to 65, but a further 36 people are missing. There is now no prospect of their having survived. The report notes that: The people reported to be missing were likewise due to…
Our new paper: Extreme rainfall further endangers the world’s rarest great ape
In November 2025, Cyclone Senyar generated extreme rainfall in parts of Sumatra, Indonesia, triggering thousands of landslides. Our new paper in the journal Current Biology demonstrates that these landslides might have a devastating impact on a critically endangered population of Tapanuli orangutan. In November 2025, Cyclone Senyar brought extreme rainfall to large parts of Sumatra in Indonesia. I have written about this on previous occasions – the rainfall triggered vast numbers of landslides. In my line of work, we often focus on the landslide impacts on the landscape, on human lives and on infrastructure. We rarely consider the impacts on…
Reports of landslides triggered by the 8 June 2026 M=7.8 earthquake offshore Mindanao in the Philippines
To date news reports suggest two fatal landslides with a combined toll of 17 people. There are various news reports trickling in about the landslides triggered by the 8 June 2026 M=7.8 earthquake offshore Mindanao in the Philippines. As usual, the remote locations of many of the landslides means that the information is a bit hit and miss at this point. To date, the most serious event appears to have occurred at a community called New Aklan, located in Glan, Sarangani. It appears that New Aklan is at: [5.7705 N, 125.3356]. News reports indicate that 13 people were killed, although…
Potential landslides and liquefaction from the 8 June 2026 M=7.8 earthquake offshore Mindanao in the Philippines
Initial analyses suggest that the earthquake this morning has the potential to have triggered significant numbers of landslides and areas of liquefaction. At the time of writing, the impacts of the M=7.8 earthquake that occurred offshore the south coast of Mindanao in the Philippines remain unclear. Initial reports in the local press suggest 15 fatalities…
The 19 July 2025 landslide at Sangneung village in South Korea
On 19 July 2025, record-breaking rainfall triggered a landslide that destroyed 26 buildings. Plans are now being developed to permanently relocate the community. On 19 July 2025, parts of South Korea suffered record-breaking rainfall. Flooding and landslides were the inevitable outcome. One location that was particularly severely impacted was a small rural village called Sangneung,…
Fatalities from landslides in earthquakes
A new study (Sun et al. 2026) shows that in six earthquakes in China between 2010 and 2022, landslides and rockfalls were responsible for at least half of the total fatalities. It is well-established that landslides are a major cause of loss of life in earthquakes in mountainous areas. The seismology maxim that “it is…
The 10 December 2025 Huangci landslide in Gansu Province, China
A new paper in the journal landslides (Yang et al. 2026) details the 6.8 million cubic metre Huangci Landslide in China, which was a reactivation on a slope that has suffered two other failures in recent decades. On 10 December 2025, failure occurred in the large Huangci landslide in Gansu Province, China. The event is…
The prospects for the 2026 monsoon in South Asia
Forecasts for the 2026 South Asia monsoon are for below average rainfall, but some of the most landslide prone areas of India may receive totals that are above average. As usual, we are now starting to see the number of reported global fatal landslides increase as the northern hemisphere rainy season commences. In recent days,…
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About Dave
Dave Petley is the Vice-Chancellor and President of Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom. His blog provides commentary and analysis of landslide events occurring worldwide, including the landslides themselves, latest research, and conferences and meetings.