Landslide kills 2 in Cebu village

CEBU CITY— Two people were killed while several others were evacuated after a landslide hit Sitio Lower Ponce in Barangay Capitol Site in this city on Thursday night.

Authorities identified the fatalities as Elpedio Geraga, 64, and Juvelyn Sanipa, 31.

Nagiel Bañacia, head of the city’s Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, said heavy rains on Thursday afternoon loosened the soil and uprooted bamboo trees along the Guadalupe River, triggering a landslide in the village.

In a Facebook post, Bañacia narrated that it took rescuers at least four hours before they managed to pull the bodies out of the wreckage, which included soil, broken bamboo branches, and slabs of collapsed walls and ceilings.

He also said that at least four other families consisting of eight adults and over a dozen minors were evacuated to the Capitol Site Barangay Hall.

Bañacia said soil in the area remained unstable making it unsafe for residents.

The heavy rains had also triggered knee-deep floods especially in the downtown area of this city.     /kga