2 killed, 4 hurt in Kennon landslide

POLICEMEN, rescuers and DPWH personnel secure and clear a section of Kennon Road in Barangay Camp 6 at the boundary of Baguio City and Tuba, Benguet province, that was hit by a landslide on Monday morning. EV ESPIRITU/INQUIRER NORTHERN LUZON

BAGUIO CITY—Government workers were scheduled on Monday night to climb a mountain at the boundary of Baguio and Tuba, Benguet province, to cut trees and hopefully prevent the scale of erosion that killed two persons on Kennon Road earlier in the day.

A massive landslide, triggered by uprooted pine trees, crushed the front end of a van and hit a jeepney behind it at 9 a.m. on Monday, killing two women and injuring four other victims.

Monsoon rains and a thick blanket of fog prevented government engineers from examining the extent of the landslide along a section of Kennon Road in Barangay Camp 6, but they said sustained downpour weakened the slopes holding up the trees on the mountaintop, said Edilberto Carabbacan, Cordillera director of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

“A crew from the DPWH and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will have to brave the weather and cut the remaining trees overnight, so we can reopen the road,” Carabbacan told the Inquirer.

A fallen tree was able to drag a substantial amount of soil down the road on Monday, Carabbacan said to illustrate the danger his agency wanted to prevent.

It was not the first mudslide in the area this month. A landslide on July 6 blocked a section of Kennon Road near the iconic marker called “Lion’s Head.”

Increased rainfall

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) recorded 31.6 millimeters of rainfall in Baguio on Saturday, but this increased to 108.4 mm until Sunday midnight. Average rainfall in Baguio in June was 475.8 mm, Pagasa records showed.

The landslide on Kennon Road on Monday hit a Toyota Hi-Ace van and a passenger jeepney tailing it. A woman, who had yet to be identified, died while being taken to Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) here.

At least five people were initially hurt, including Teresita de Guzman, 61, of Malasiqui, Pangasinan province, who was on her way to BGHMC for a medical consultation, said Rafael Valencia, head of the volunteer rescue unit, 911 On Call.

De Guzman, however, died while undergoing treatment. She was accompanied by a relative, Phing de Guzman, 42, who was confined at BGHMC along with Henry Eugenio, 46, and Ernesto Luis, the van driver, according to hospital records.

Another passenger who suffered a right-leg fracture, Jun Eric Samuyo, was taken to Saint Louis University Hospital of the Sacred Heart.

The DPWH closed the 32-kilometer Kennon Road as its personnel started clearing debris from the slide.

Motorists may still take the Baguio Circumferential Road via Marcos Highway to access sections of Kennon Road. But ongoing road repair at a section of Marcos Highway near BGHMC has been slowing down vehicle flow and creating gridlocks for weeks now.

Last week, the DPWH closed Kennon Road for two days as heavy rain dumped by Tropical Storm “Egay” (international name: Linfa) triggered landslides along the route. With a report from Vincent Cabreza, Inquirer Northern Luzon