A landslide struck a village in the southern Philippines, resulting in the loss of at least seven lives and leaving 48 individuals missing, including miners awaiting transportation home, authorities confirmed on Wednesday.
The incident occurred in the mountain village of Masara in Davao de Oro province on Tuesday night, prompting a swift response from army troops, police, and volunteers. Amid the rescue efforts, 31 injured residents were successfully evacuated. However, the search for the missing resumed on Wednesday after being temporarily halted overnight due to concerns about additional landslides, officials reported.
In the wake of the disaster, more than 750 families have been relocated to evacuation centers, according to statements from disaster response officials.
Among those unaccounted for were 27 miners who were waiting aboard two buses to depart when the landslide struck, revealed Davao de Oro provincial spokesperson Edward Macapili. Despite the perilous situation, some miners managed to escape by jumping out of windows or fleeing, ultimately surviving the ordeal.
Edward Macapili recounted the sudden and devastating nature of the event, stating, “It happened so fast. They suddenly saw the landslide cascading directly toward them.”
While the region had experienced heavy rainfall in recent weeks, Macapili noted that the weather had cleared in the days leading up to the incident.
The southern Philippines has endured a series of natural disasters in recent months, including earthquakes that inflicted damage on buildings in the southeast. Tragically, over a dozen individuals had already lost their lives in previous weeks due to flooding and landslides, according to reports from disaster response officials.
(With inputs from agencies).
