2 kids die as landslide buries hut in Pangasinan

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines—Two children died when a landslide crushed their hut at the foot of a hill in Barangay Rabon in San Fabian, Pangasinan, early Saturday,  police said.

Chief Inspector Domingo Soriano, San Fabian police chief, identified the victims as siblings Reajen Bautista, 6, and John Rey, 5. Their mother, who police had yet to identify, suffered bruises while their father, Rolly, was unhurt.

Soriano said the upper part of the hill may have loosened due to  continuous rains brought about by Typhoon “Mina” in Pangasinan and the rest of northern Luzon.

Soriano said the landslide occurred at the height of heavy rains at 1 a.m. The victims’ bodies were dug up at around 3 a.m.

Avenix Arenas, spokesperson of the provincial disaster risk reduction and management council, said her office had warned residents living along rivers, coastlines and hills about the possibility of landslides and flooding due to the strong rains.

Arenas said flash floods were reported in the towns of Laoac, San Fabian, San Nicolas and Pozorrubio.

Despite the heavy rains, she said, the San Roque Dam in San Manuel town has not released any excess water because it is still about 30.44 meters away from its spilling level of 280 meters above sea level.