Landslide buries 9 houses in South Cotabato village

KORONADAL CITY, Philippines  – Landslide triggered by heavy rains has buried nine houses and killed one in the gold-rich village in T’boli town in South Cotabato province, disaster officials said. 

Reports reaching The STAR here said the landslide happened Friday evening when rocks and heavy mud from the mountain rolled down and crushed several houses in Kematu, one of the barangays of T’boli town known as “gold capital” of the province. 

John Lorca, a staff from the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office here, said nine houses were crushed by landslide. 

A certain Gregorio Mayol, 45, a resident of the area, was killed during the incident, according to reports here. 

Lorca said they are still conducting assessment in the area to determine the extent of damage of the landslide there. 

The PSWDO and the office of Governor Arthur Pingoy Jr. are now initiating steps to help the affected residents, including homeowners whose houses were destroyed by the landslide. 

The STAR learned that the Friday night landslide was the third incident that happened in Kematu since March 30, this year. 

Three weeks ago, four miners, who were resting in their bunkhouse outside their mining tunnels, were reportedly buried alive by landslide triggered by heavy rains.