2 dead in Benguet landslide amid heavy rains — police

MANILA, Philippines — Two men died when a landslide affected an eatery in La Trinidad town in Benguet province amid inclement weather on Thursday morning, the police said.

In a press briefing in Camp Crame, PNP public information chief Col. Allen Rae Co identified the fatalities as two cooks aged 31 and 66.

Meanwhile, another male cook, 55 , was rescued by authorities and brought to a nearby medical facility for treatment, Co added.

“His hand was still out… His head was not totally buried in mud,” Benguet police chief Col. Dionisio Bonoy told reporters in a phone interview earlier on Thursday.

Bonoy earlier said it was the 66-year-old cook who had survived but later clarified in a text message to reporters that it was the 55-year-old cook who had survived.

He said that the three cooks were inside the eatery’s kitchen when the landslide struck.

“As of now, all residents near the area were relocated because the rains were continuous. It’s the fourth straight day of rain, so the land is saturated and heavy,” he explained.

Tropical Depression Maymay (international name: Kujira) began crossing the Northern Luzon landmass after making landfall in Magsingal, Ilocos Sur early Thursday morning.

Maymay was forecast to “traverse the mountainous terrain of Northern Luzon before emerging over the eastern coastal waters of Isabela or Cagayan,” according to the 11 a.m. bulletin of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa). /mr/gsg