4 hurt when tree fell on shanties in Cebu

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Four persons were injured on Thursday afternoon when heavy rain and strong winds uprooted a tree, hitting the shanties in Sitio Dapdap in Barangay Kalunasan in Cebu City.

Kimberly Espinili, 22, was brought to the Don Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (DVSMMC) after she complained of severe pain in her left shoulder.

Physicians suspected that Espinili’s shoulder was fractured after she was pinned by parts of her shanty that was flattened by the tree.

Also brought to the city-owned Cebu City Medical Center were her three neighbors – Myleen Aribato, 33, and her children Eurika, 3, and John Cyrus, 2.

Councilor Dave Tumulak, head of Cebu City’s Command Center, said a huge tree on top of a ravine was uprooted by strong winds and rain about 4 p.m.

The tree fell on the shanties below the ravine.

He said occupants of the shanties were able to get out of their houses in a nick of time. Espinili, however, was not as lucky.

Tumulak said neighbors helped pull out Espinili from pieces of wood and mud that covered her. They also helped the three other victims.

He said the three other families consisting of 23 individuals, who lived nearby, were asked to temporarily vacate their homes and spend the night at the barangay chapel to ensure their safety.

Tumulak said he would call for a meeting with Kalunasan officials on Friday to determine if the evacuated families could return home.

“Sitio Dapdap is a landslide prone area,” he said. SFM