City mayor: Family of 7 killed in Leyte mudslide

All members of a family of seven were killed in a predawn mudslide that hit their home in Tacloban City in Leyte province in Eastern Visayas Thursday. Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez said the fatal landslide occurred around 2 a.m., at a remote village in the city. "We have seven fatalities... isang bahay... buong pamilya ang natabunan (Those killed were members of one family whose house was buried in the landslide)," he said in an interview on dzBB radio. National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) head Benito Ramos identified the family by its surname, Jordan. Citing initial reports reaching him, Romualdez said the family was sleeping when the landslide struck. He said that as of 9:40 a.m., the bodies of almost all of the fatalities were retrieved, except for one of the children, who he described as a high school student. Romualdez said the weather had been inclement for weeks, forcing the cancellation of many flights to and from Tacloban Wednesday afternoon. He said the landslide, which occurred in Barangay Cabalawan, was only one of three landslides that occurred in three villages in the city. "Hindi napansin ng mga neighbors kasi nang nangyari ang landslide, nagkaroon ng brownout di nila napansin. At ang gumuho na lupa, mostly mud. Hindi maingay, it was very quiet. Nadiskubre ang landslide 6 a.m. nang may araw na, napansin ng neighbors," he said. (The neighbors did not immediately notice the landslide because there was a brownout at the time, and the landslide was relatively quiet because the material that fell on the house was mostly mud.) He said there was no reported casualty in the other two landslides, saying the residents managed to flee their homes. But he said the floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in past days forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 residents. Romualdez said he ordered the suspension of classes at the elementary and high school levels on Thursday. "Ang rescue efforts started 8:30 kagabi, walang tulog (The rescue efforts for the affected families started at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. We have had no sleep)," he said. — LBG, GMA News