DAGUPAN CITY – A mountain slope that was being reinforced with stone wall collapsed at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Agno town in Pangasinan province, shutting down a vital road line to western towns.
No one was hurt in the erosion in Barangay Bangan-oda, according to Senior Insp. Franco Catalan, Agno police chief.
A backhoe, that was being used for the stonewalling project, was buried by tons of rocks and soil from the mountain slope.
It was not raining at the time of the landslide, which blocked a 15-meter stretch of the Mabini-Agno road, that has been used as a detour by heavy vehicles bound for the towns of Bani, Bolinao, and Anda.
Since July, monsoon rains weakened the approach of the Garrita Bridge connecting Alaminos City and Bani, making it passable to light vehicles only.
Catalan said heavy vehicles, including passenger buses, have been diverted to a longer route that connects Mabini and Bani towns.
He said workers were now clearing the area.