Landslides, floods in Maguindanao, North Cotabato due to rains

AP FILE PHOTO

COTABATO CITY – A boy was killed and three others were injured in a landslide triggered by incessant rain in Upi, Maguindanao.

The rains also left many areas of Pagalungan town, also in Maguindanao, under water, prompting local authorities to declare a state of calamity.

Josefina Daluco, Upi’s municipal disaster risk reduction and management council officer, said the landslide took place in Sitio (sub-village) Katalapak in Barangay (village) Blensong on Wednesday evening.

She said four members of the Tuniakao family were buried alive when a hilltop caved in. All managed to claw their way out of mud except for four-year-old Ranin Tuniakao.

The heavy rains, triggered by a weather phenomenon affecting many Mindanao areas, also submerged the low-lying Maguindanao towns of Sultan Kudarat, Kabuntalan, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Datu Piang, Sultan sa Barongis, Rajah Buayan, Datu Hofer, Mamasapano and Pagalungan.

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, through its Humanitarian Emergency and Response Team (Heart), sent workers to affected areas to assist flood victims.

In Pagalungan town, the Sangguniang Bayan declared a state of calamity, the local disaster officer said on Friday afternoon.

Benjamin Alip, Pagalungan disaster officer, said at least 4,935 families or 23,519 individuals were affected by the floods.

In Arakan, North Cotabato, a landslide stalled traffic between Barangay Tumanding and Lanao Kuran on Friday, officials there said.

It took more than two hours for residents to clear the road.

In Kabacan, North Cotabato, the overflowing of the Kabacan River inundated several villages, according to disaster management officer David Don Saure.

He said among the affected villages were Kayaga, Magatos, Kilagasan, Malanduage and Aringay.