DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Just barely recovering a month after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Sarangani province in Mindanao, the death toll from a landslide that hit Sitio Pandao, Barangay Poblacion, climbed to 10 as of July 11.
Persistent heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon (habagat), enhanced by Tropical Storm Inday, triggered flash floods and landslides across Mindanao.
Eight bodies recovered from the landslide site in Malapatan were airlifted to the town proper aboard a Philippine Air Force Black Hawk helicopter on July 11. One victim had already been recovered on Friday and was declared dead on arrival at a hospital before being brought to a local funeral home.
Barangay Captain Melecio Cañete of Poblacion confirmed that only eight of the nine recovered bodies were transported by helicopter because retrieval operations were still underway for the body of a 1-year-old boy buried beneath the collapsed mountainside.
The latest recovery raised the death toll to 10, leaving relatives mourning the tragedy that befell two families in Sitio Pandao.
Mark Christopher Quiño, incident commander and Malapatan municipal disaster risk reduction and management officer (MDRRMO), said the two families had evacuated from their homes and sought shelter in a mountainous area, believing it would be safer from the continuous rains before the slope suddenly gave way.
On July 11, Malapatan Mayor Salway Sumbo Jr., together with members of the Incident Management Team, the Philippine Air Force, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Malapatan Police, flew aboard a Black Hawk helicopter to inspect the disaster-hit community.
Meanwhile, the local government has evacuated 230 families from flood-affected communities to six evacuation centers across the municipality as floodwaters continued to inundate several areas.
Data from the Incident Management Team’s MDRRMO showed the evacuees came from the affected barangays of Poblacion, Libi and Sapu Padidu, with families temporarily sheltered at the Municipal Gymnasium, Malapatan Central Elementary School, Lanang Covered Court, Malapatan National High School, Purok Luot Court and Libi Covered Court.
Authorities said disaster response teams continue to monitor affected communities while distributing food packs, relief goods and other essential assistance to ensure the safety and welfare of evacuees.
2 Dead in Bukidnon
In Bukidnon, the provincial government distributed food packs to landslide and flooding victims in the cities of Malaybalay and Valencia and the municipalities of Cabanglasan, San Fernando and Quezon.
The Police Regional Office in Northern Mindanao (PRO-10) recorded one fatality during the incessant rains over the weekend. A 48-year-old farmer drowned in Barangay Managok, Malaybalay City, on July 9 after he was swept away by strong river currents while attempting to cross a swollen river. Another died in Quezon town after being swept away by floodwaters.
More than 309,000 affected in Maguindanao flooding
Elsewhere in Mindanao, the effects of the enhanced southwest monsoon worsened flooding in Maguindanao, where more than 309,000 residents in Maguindanao del Sur alone have been affected by floodwaters as of July 11.
Local authorities also confirmed that a 70-year-old senior citizen remains missing in the municipality of Talayan amid the flash floods.
As heavy rains continue, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau warned the public that 741 barangays in Mindanao are susceptible to landslides and flooding until July 14. These include areas in the Bangsamoro Administrative Region (356), Northern Mindanao Region (255), Socccksargen (102) and Davao Region (11). (davaotoday.com)
