Rains slow search for 20 missing in landslide

VALENCIA CITY, Bukidnon—Rains are delaying the search for at least 20 people missing in a landslide that struck remote villages, and killed seven residents here on Monday.

The landslide rendered un-passable 4 kilometers of the 30-km highway between this city and San Fernando town.

The rains, which haven’t stopped since Monday, made the search for the missing too dangerous for volunteers and members of rescue teams scouring the landslide site for survivors and bodies, according to authorities.

Mayor Leandro Catarata said the rains were not showing signs of easing, forcing authorities to halt search and rescue operations from time to time.

He said heavy equipment that were brought in to help in the operations had to be set aside because using them “might create another wave of landslides.”

While everyone is doing their part to help, “they are doing it in a slow pace considering the bad weather and the risks,” said the mayor.

Catarata blamed drivers of contraptions called “habal-habal” (motorcycles modified to carry more than one passenger) for the deaths, saying they didn’t heed warnings against traversing the portion of the highway that was struck by the landslide.

“They should have listened, and this tragedy could have been prevented,” Catarata said.

Two more bodies were found yesterday, bringing to seven the confirmed number of fatalities. They were siblings aged 5 and 6 who were reported missing by their mother on Monday in Barangay Tungan-tungan, one of the villages struck by the landslide.

Dr. Vincent Raguro, a member of the Bukidnon provincial health team, said the bodies would be transported to this city for their families to claim.

Authorities are uncertain how many more bodies are buried in the mountain of mud and debris that fell on the villages.

Catarata said he believed many of the victims were not from Valencia, but were just passing by.

Catarata has appealed to families to report the names of relatives who have traveled to San Fernando on Monday and have not returned since.