14-year-old boy killed in landslide

KORONADAL CITY , Philippines  – A 14-year-old boy was killed and two others were injured in a rain-triggered landslide in a remote village in Norala town in South Cotabato province, a disaster official said yesterday.

Nelida Periera, provincial social welfare and development officer of South Cotabato, identified the fatality as Denden Malaw, who was reportedly buried alive in mudflow in Barangay Puti in the said municipality Friday afternoon.

The composite rescue teams reportedly dug up the body of the girl past 9 a.m. yesterday.

Periera said those injured were the boy’s father Daytoy Malaw, 51, and her elder brother Toto, 15, who both suffered injuries from the incident.

The injured victims are still recuperating at the town’s district hospital.

Their house, which was made of light materials, was located in a landslide-prone area at the foot of the mountain of Norala, reports reaching The STAR said.

Periera said at around 3:30 p.m. Thursday, at the height of the heavy rainfall, the boy, his father and elder brother were resting inside their house in Sitio El Kuka of the said village and they did not see the rushing mudflow toward their place.

The father and his elder son Toto managed to come out of the house, except Denden who was buried by mudflow when it suddenly struck the house.

Prior to the incident, the three were warned by their neighbors to temporarily leave their house for a possible landslide due to heavy rainfall but they ignored the warning.   – Ramil Bajo