Death toll in Cebu landslide rises to 25
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 4:42 p.m.) — At least 25 people were killed and scores remain missing after a landslide triggered by heavy rains buried houses near a quarry site in the City of Naga in Cebu.
The Freeman reported that as of 12:41 p.m., 50 individuals remain missing, a day after a landslide that engulfed at least two small sitios on the slope of a limestone hill in Barangays Tinaan and Nalaad.
A total of 1,493 families or 4,757 individuals have been affected by the incident.
The city government of Naga declared Tinaan, Naalad and three other neighboring villages of Mainit, Pangdan and Cabungahan under a state of calamity.
President Rodrigo Duterte will conduct an aerial inspection of the landslide-hit area and evacuation centers this afternoon.
Halt to quarrying activities
The Freeman also reported that Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III has ordered the suspension of all quarrying activities in the entire province.
He also urged the provincial government to conduct a legislative inquiry into the landslide.
According to the city’s incident report, “the landslide may be due to the continuous rain that caused the softening of the land and the existing quarry site.”
Department of Environment and Natural Resources secretary Roy Cimatu issued a cease and desist order against the operations of Apo Land and Quarry Corporation.
Apo Land and Quarry Corp., however, said there was no quarrying activity near the landslide site. But it vowed to cooperate with the probe.
Cimatu also relieved the top officials of Mines and Geosciences Bureau in the region.
A forced evacuation within one kilometer from the landslide site has been also imposed.
The incident came days after the tragic landslide that struck a small-scale mining community in Itogon town in Benguet during the onslaught of Typhoon Ompong (international name: Mangkhut). — Gaea Katreena Cabico with reports from The Freeman
Related video:
- Latest
- Trending
