Marine life dies after seabed in Glan, Sarangani rises following Mindanao earthquake

Some marine animals died after a section of the seabed was lifted along the shores of Glan, Sarangani following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck offshore on June 8.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Soccsksargen said the Sarangani Bay Protected Seascape Protected Area Management Office received reports on June 10, two days after the quake, of unusually low sea levels in Glan.

“The team from CENRO Glan, together with PAMO Protected Area Rangers, conducted a coastal survey and found that long stretches of shoreline, coral reef and seagrass beds had been exposed, particularly in the Pangyan Marine Sanctuary in Barangay Pangyan, Glan, Sarangani Province,” the DENR Soccsksargen said in a statement.

“These exposed corals and seagrass beds had begun dying, along with resident organisms such as reef fishes, eels, clams and shells. Nearby residents also expressed concern that the stench of decaying marine life could pose health risks,” it added.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) and the DENR Mines and Geosciences Bureau Region 12 confirmed that coastal uplift in Barangay Pangyan raised the seabed by as much as two meters and extended the shoreline by about 200 meters.

A similar occurrence was also reported in Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental.

The DENR Soccsksargen said it will form a team to conduct a scientific assessment of the coastal uplift in Glan on Tuesday, June 16.—MCG, GMA News