TACLOBAN CITY — Search and retrieval operations are ongoing for three remaining persons buried alive after a landslide destroyed a wall in this city Saturday night. Rescuers resumed work Monday morning after it was halted Sunday night due to heavy rains in the region brought by tail end of a cold front, said Chief Insp. Rex Cantillep, city police community relations chief.
Still unrecovered are bodies of Alex Amancio, his wife Shery Jane, and her daughter Zoe Hernandez. Recovered Sunday dawn was the body of Delia Carson, 64.
They were trapped inside their houses when a concrete wall collapsed due to rain-induced landslide near a major road in Quarry district around 9 p.m. on Saturday.
The mudslide buried eight houses affecting nine families. The city government forcibly evacuated seven other families after the erosion, according to a report by the city disaster risk reduction and management council.
Catillep said they have been securing the district to ensure that no one will return to the landslide-prone area.
Tacloban City Mayor Cristina Romualdez promised to help the victims and families displaced by the landslide as she asked city residents to stay alert and always prepare.
“We are closely coordinating with other agencies to save lives and thank the first responders and all those involved in these efforts,” Romualdez said.
The cold front has dumped heavy rains in the city that caused widespread flooding in Eastern Visayas’ regional capital since Saturday night. (PNA)
