MACO, COMPOSTELA VALLEY—Despite warnings from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) that the area was prone to landslides after mud and boulders killed at least 10 people there last year, residents who depend on the local gold-mining industry for a living stayed put but have paid a heavy price.

Not one but two landslides leveled their houses in the village of Masara here on Saturday and Sunday, killing at least nine people and injuring 14 others.

Twenty-four people remained missing as of 6 p.m. Sunday night, according to Susan Madrid, training specialist at the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Southern Mindanao (Region 11).

The death toll could rise as frantic efforts to dig up the missing, believed to be buried under mud and boulders, continues.

Antonio Cloma, operations chief of the OCD for Southern Mindanao, said days of incessant rain caused “the loosening of the soil on the mountain and caused the landslides.”

The village lies 3 kilometers from the mining site of Apex Mining Corp., said Maj. Armand Rico, spokesperson of the military’s Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom). Another mining firm—the UK-based Crew Gold Corp.—operates in Masara.

The first landslide struck at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, when a large section of a mountain gave way and cascaded to a low-lying area, hitting dozens of houses. At least six people were killed.

Roger Corales, who escaped unharmed, said he saw people crying for help as they slowly disappeared under the falling earth, their hands grasping desperately for something to hold on to.

At 3:50 a.m. Sunday, another landslide struck, hitting some villagers who chose to stay in their homes despite what happened less than 12 hours earlier.

The second landslide blocked all roads and made them impassable to vehicles, according to Eastmincom.

Interrupted

The Army and police, backed by two Air Force helicopters and workers from a gold-mining company, battled heavy rains and mud to search for villagers who were reported to have been buried under mud and rocks, said Chief Supt. Andres Caro II, head of the Southern Mindanao police.

The rescue work was interrupted Sunday afternoon by pounding rain and fears that a third landslide could occur.

Thunderous sound

“The communication system has bogged down in the area, making it difficult for rescuers to transmit information about their ongoing operation. There’s no cell site in the area, too,” Caro said.

The OCD said 72 houses were buried in the landslides, including that of barangay (village) captain Jovencio Anggera.

Maj. Rolando Rodil, commander of the 25th Infantry Battalion, whose troops assisted the villagers in getting out of the area, said his last conversation with Anggera was at past 1 a.m. Sunday.

“We were roused from our sleep due to the thunderous sound of a mountain rushing down,” Rodil said. “The first thing I asked my men was to look for the captain (Angerra), but his house was among those hit.”

Angerra was among those on the OCD list of missing persons. “He went home to cook food for us and his fellow rescue workers,” Angerra’s son, Wilkins, told reporters.

All that Dranreb, Anggera’s other son, could see was the tin roof that was once their house. “I just hope I could still see them,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net).

Dranreb joined the rescue team from the Red Cross, miners of Apex Mining and residents in digging, looking for survivors.

Sunday afternoon, Senior Supt. Ronald dela Rosa, Compostela Valley police director, said Angerra’s body had been retrieved.

Evacuation

Maco Mayor Voltaire Rimando has placed Barangay Masara under state of calamity. “Our immediate action is for total evacuation of the residents here,” he said.

Rimando said some 1,500 people had already taken refuge in four evacuation centers, while others stayed with relatives in another town.

But Rodil said there could be several other missing persons who have not been accounted for. He said he and the others found it difficult to check the data since the barangay hall was among those ravaged by the mudslide.

“If you ask the residents, they would tell you that there are a lot of people who are missing,” he said.

The MGB has classified the area as among those at risk of landslide.

A landslide hit the village on Aug. 6, 2007, killing at least 10 villagers.

Dela Rosa identified those killed in the Saturday landslide as Esteban Mamilit, 59; Evelyn Sellano, 8; Harold Sanchez, 53; and Rosemarie Labor, 29, and her children Maria Cristina, 3, and Maria Teresita, 2.

Pulled out alive

“Eight victims were also pulled out alive and were rushed to various hospitals for treatment of their injuries,” De la Rosa said.

Killed on Sunday were Anggera, Aaron Cristine Perando, 9, and a certain Magamayo, who was said to be a security guard in the mining company in the area.

Seven survivors were rushed to hospitals.

Gov. Arturo Uy said he had issued a warning for residents to relocate to safe and more stable areas following last year’s landslide.

“It was an unfortunate incident,” he said as he promised food and medical assistance to the survivors.

“They should be relocated,” Uy said, without elaborating where the relocation site would be. With reports from Frinston Lim, Inquirer Mindanao; Nikko Dizon in Manila; and Associated Press