DAVAO DE ORO, PHILIPPINES – The aftermath of a devastating landslide in the southern Philippine village of Masara continues to unfold as rescue workers uncovered additional casualties on Thursday. The death toll now stands at 11, while the number of individuals unaccounted for has escalated to 110, according to local authorities.
The landslide, which struck the gold-mining mountain village in Davao de Oro province on Tuesday evening, resulted in at least 31 residents sustaining injuries. The search for missing persons was temporarily suspended on Thursday afternoon as concerns over additional landslides grew, explained Edward Macapili, a spokesperson for the Davao de Oro province.
The bleak reality that the chances of finding more survivors among the missing are dwindling has been recognized, Macapili shared. In response to the disaster, over 1,165 families have been relocated to evacuation centers for their protection.
Among those still missing are several gold miners who were awaiting transportation home in two buses when the landslide occurred, burying the vehicles, Macapili revealed. Despite recent torrential rains in the mountainous region subsiding and clear weather at the time of the landslide, the area had been destabilized by earthquakes that inflicted damage on local homes and structures in recent months.