1 hurt, 2 houses destroyed in Mountain Province landslide

ROXAS, Isabela — Two houses were partially destroyed and a resident was injured when a landslide occurred in a village near the mountains in Bontoc town in Mountain Province early morning Sunday, disaster officials said.

Mountain Province disaster officials said resident Danny Chamlangen was injured while fleeing from his home when soil came crashing down from the mountains to the houses in Sitio (sub-village) Papattay Sokok in Bontoc Ili village at around 3 a.m.

The kitchen, comfort room, and living room of Chamlangen’s house were destroyed while a neighboring house owned by Lorenzo Felwa was partially damaged.

Affected residents include Chamlangen, Felwa, Calsiman Ofo-ob, and Jerry Agnapan.

Rescuers from the Bontoc Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO-Bontoc), Bontoc police, Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and village officials immediately responded to the scene.

Twelve people fled during the landslides and evacuated to the Saint Vincent Elementary School (SVES) but came back to their houses before noon.

Villagers told police that they heard a rumbling sound as early as 1 a.m. on June 5 but they ignored it. A series of howling sounds, which sent dogs barking continuously, was then heard at 3 a.m. few moments before the landslide occurred.

Probers said an old pine tree fell and hit a water pipe, which apparently triggered the soil erosion.

Food and relief kits were given to affected families, Bontoc Mayor Franklin Odsey said in a statement.

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