School Kids Scream in Terror as Deadly 7.8 Earthquake Rocks First Day of Classes

What should have been a joyful first day of school turned into pure terror for dozens of young children in the Philippines when a massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake violently shook the region Monday, leaving at least 32 people dead and more than 200 injured.

Heart-stopping video from DepEd Mahayahay Elementary School in Davao Occidental captured more than 100 elementary students sitting outside when the powerful quake suddenly struck. Within seconds, the children were being violently rocked side to side as screams and cries filled the school grounds.

Teachers rushed to calm the panicked students as the ground kept moving beneath them. Moments later, a roof made with coconut tree materials came crashing down nearby, sending the terrified children scattering in fear.

The video showed uniformed students huddling together, clinging to teachers and crying as staffers tried desperately to keep order. One young child could be seen kneeling on the ground and covering her ears as chaos unfolded around her.

“Their excitement on the first day of school turned to trauma,” school principal Rosavel Cachuela said.

Miraculously, no students or staff members at the school were injured. Officials said only a motorcycle was damaged when the roof collapsed.

The quake struck offshore near Mindanao, the Philippines’ second most populous island, and quickly triggered destruction across the southern part of the country. A small 3-foot tsunami hit at least one coastal village, while smaller waves were reported in Indonesia, Palau and as far away as southern Japan.

In Glan, Sarangani province, a deadly landslide killed 13 villagers as the earthquake unleashed devastation across the region.

Authorities said several low-rise buildings were leveled or badly damaged, and emergency crews scrambled to respond as aftershocks raised fears that more structures could collapse.

Teresito Bacolol of the Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the earthquake was the strongest to hit the Philippines so far this year. He urged residents not to rush back into damaged buildings without official guidance, warning that aftershocks could bring already weakened structures crashing down.

Images from the disaster zone showed police inspecting damaged school buildings and Philippine Coast Guard personnel carrying students to safety in the aftermath of the terrifying quake.

The Philippines sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region notorious for violent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. But for the children at Mahayahay Elementary School, Monday’s disaster was not a geology lesson. It was a first day of school they may never forget.