Cagayan de Oro authorities end search for missing

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines—The search for people missing in the wake of the  December  17 flash floods that swept through Cagayan de Oro City has ended and government operations have shifted to the rehabilitation of affected communities and residents, the authorities said Wednesday.

Senior Superintendent \Gerardo Rosales, Cagayan de Oro police chief, said the chances of survival of the 684 persons still listed missing were now nil, especially if they were swept out to sea or buried under tons of mud and other debris.

Rosales said it has been more than two weeks since the disaster struck.

If more bodies are discovered, members of the Oro Assistance for Life Emergency and Rescue Team (Oro Alert) will be deployed but the search has stopped for now, he said.

Major Julio Eugenio Osias IV, spokesperson of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, said the last time a cadaver was recovered was on December 23.

He said that for the Army, the search has a lesser priority now as its efforts were centered on helping residents rebuild their lives.

“After Christmas, there were no more bodies recovered, but our teams are still deployed in various areas across the city,” Osias said.

He said soldiers were also concentrating on clearing affected villages of mud and debris, especially along the Cagayan de Oro River.

“We also need to help in repairing classrooms that were damaged so that children will have decent rooms to learn in,” Osias said.

Military doctors and nurses also regularly visit affected communities to distribute medicines and vitamins and give anti-tetanus shots to injured flood victims, he said.