Children rescued after 60 hours buried in a landslide that hit a mining village in Davao de Oro
At least 15 people are dead and 100 are missing in the landslide-hit area in Mindanao that had been declared a “no build zone” in the wake of 2007 landslides; but most residents refused resettlement because of jobs in a local gold mine.
Manila (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The Philippine Red Cross rescued two children, a three-year-old girl and a two-month-old baby, after almost 60 hours under mud and debris in what was once Masara, a gold-mining village in the southern island of Mindanao hit by a landslide overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday.
The survival of the two babies was hailed a “miracle" as rescuers had lost all hope of finding anyone alive. Meanwhile, the latter continue to dig because more than 100 people are still missing from the landslide caused by heavy rains.
At least 15 people are known to be dead, but survivors along with rescuers are using shovels and bare hands to search for others who might still be alive, said Edward Macapili, an official with the Davao de Oro provincial disaster agency.
Speaking about the girl, Macapili said that, "It's a miracle," which “gives hope to the rescuers. A child's resilience is usually less than that of adults, yet the child survived."
The newborn had no injuries, nor did the little girl, who met her father before going to a medical facility for a check-up.
Drug-sniffing dogs are also being used to locate people under the mud and rubble. Heavy earth-moving vehicles have arrived to remove the debris while rain continues incessantly, slowing down operations.
Landslides are unfortunately nothing new in the Philippines; they represent a constant danger in much of the country due to its mountainous terrain, but heavy rains have also increased in intensity because of climate change, El Niño, widespread deforestation for farming, illegal logging and, especially, mining. Gold mining in Masara is a case in point.
For weeks, heavy rains have battered the region, causing multiple landslides and flooding. Thousands of residents have had to seek shelter far from home. Making matters worse, seismic activity has been affecting the Philippines for months, wearing down already weak rock formations.
Consequently, hundreds of families from Masara and four other neighbouring villages have had to abandon their homes and go to emergency centres for fear of further landslides. Local schools have also suspended classes.
The area hit by the landslide had been declared a "no build zone" after previous landslides in 2007 and 2008, Macapili said.
"People were asked to leave that place and they were given a resettlement area, but the people are so hard-headed and they returned," he explained. The likely reason for their return is the gold mine.
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11/09/2008
21/07/2020 15:09
