5 people die in landslide

 ORMOC CITY – Five people were confirmed dead and at least six others were still missing after a landslide occurred at a project site of the Energy Development Corp. (EDC) in Kananga town, Leyte yesterday morning.

The victims worked for JA Arradaza Construction, a subcontractor of First Balfour, on a rig at EDC’s Pad 403 at the Upper Mahiao geothermal plant in the mountains of Kananga.

As of press time, only two of the five fatalities had been identified as Joel Milay and Bonifacio Polinio.

In a statement, the EDC said two weeks of rains triggered the landslide.

“The emergency response team and all available personnel as well as the company’s resources and equipment have already been mobilized by Leyte’s chief senior vice president Rico Bersamin,” the EDC said.

Forty-three employees of First Balfour, according to the EDC, were issued a safety work permit in the area.

Of the 43, it said 36 had been accounted for as of press time.

Of the 36, the company said 21 were being treated at the EDC clinic and 11 others who sustained minor injuries at a hospital.

Last month, a landslide also occurred at the coal plant of Consunji-owned Semirara Mining Corp in Antique, which killed at least five miners.

Semirara earlier said that it tapped a third-party consultant to avoid similar incidents in the future.

It said it is currently reviewing its mine plan with the assistance of the third-party consultant.

The Energy department has conducted a thorough review and assessment of the Semirara incident but has yet to release its official report. 

Retrieval operations 

Retrieval operations of the missing bodies were going on as of 4p.m. yesterday were sometimes stopped due to rains. Team was still waiting for K-9 dogs from the military to help in the operations.

Residents near the site said there was a minor earthquake the night before the landslide, but this was still being verified from Phivolcs and the US Navy website.

The EDC released its announcement of the landslide to the media at about close to noontime.

First Balfour said it will be submitting a report of the incident to the PNP and the DOLE, according to the afternoon update from Dave Devilles of EDC.

Devilles, in an official statement relayed from SVP for Operatios Rico Bersamin, said that the landslide was suspected to have been caused by two weeks of intermittent rains”. Some 43 workers were at the site when the landslide occurred.

According to some survivors, the landslide came rolling down from the top of a steep hill around 40 meters high nearby the rig.

Meanwhile, confined at the OSPA-Farmer’s Medical Center is one Giovani Perez, 31, who is now being operated on for fractures and other injuries.

Confined at the Gatchalian Hospital are Ronelo Basan, 24; Romeo Binondo Jr., 32, Edgar Brigildo, 35; Mario Sergida, 22; Alimar Aseo, 19; Joebert Auman, 20 and Ramirito Manawatao, 40. Attending nurses at the Gatchalian Hospital said that four of the confined patients suffered fractures while the remaining were confined for breathing problems after inhaling what is suspected as sulfuric smoke.

Treated for minor injuries were Roldan Rios, 28 and Bennie Leutero, 21. When interviewed, the Rios and Leuterio were tight-lipped and asked this reporter to just talk to the engineer on site “who was there.”

They said it was Engr. Javier Arradaza himself, proprietor of JA Arradaza Construction.

However, they also shared that pandemonium broke out after a dense smoke enveloped the area where they were working, and due to panic, just ran off in several directions. They added they heard a loud explosion, presumably the landslide but cannot categorically say which started first, the loud bang or the toxic fumes.

Engr. Javier Arradaza, on the other hand, when reached through his cellphone said he was still busy to answer questions from media. — With Czerina Valencia/LPM (FREEMAN)