Search teams recover 3 remaining children in Zamboanga landslide

ZAMBOANGA City, Philippines - Search and retrieval team recovered on Tuesday the three remaining children buried in the landslide in an uphill village in Kabasalan town, Zamboanga Sibugay.

Senior Inspector Rico Pondol, chief of police of Kabasalan, said joint police and military search and retrieval teams recovered by remains of Eugene Orong Maghanoy, 9-year-old barely few meters away.

This came after the remains of Eugene's cousins Sherlyn Mae Lugatiman Maghanoy, 7 and her 3-year old brother Eziquel Meziah were found in the same area on Monday afternoon.

Sherlyn Mae and Eziquel were still hugging each other when their bodies were found by the search team.

Pondol said that the two children were obviously trying to protect each other when they were hit by the landslide.

The remains of the three children were already in the state of decomposition.

Eugene’s elder sister Fatima Orong Maghanoy was recovered last Sunday morning.

The four children were taking refuge from an abandoned house while waiting for the rain to stop on the fateful afternoon of May 28 when a huge landslide swept and buried them alive in Barangay Sayaw.