A 10-YEAR-OLD boy died after he got pinned down by a buli or palm tree that crushed his house in barangay Cubacub, Mandaue City shortly during before 6 p.m. Friday.
The 40-foot tree fell as heavy rains and strong winds of Sendong lashed Metro Cebu.
Antonio Cortes Jr., died of injuries in his stomach and back. Neighbors rushed him to the Mandaue City Hospital but it was too late.
The boy was cleaning their house at the time. Four siblings were in another room babysitting the family’s six-month-old baby.
The infant was thrown out of its cradle when the tree smashed the house, but was unharmed.
The children’s father was at work in a plastic factory in Lilo-an town while their mother brought a five-year old daughter to a clinic for a checkup.
The children were rescued by the neighbors. They were temporarily housed at one of neighbor’s home.
The Accident Control Emergency Rescue Team (ACERT) and the police cut the tree to recover Antonio’s body. Correspondent Norman V. Mendoza