26 dead, 23 missing in Biliran province landslides, flooding

A total of 26 people have been confirmed killed and at least 23 more were missing due to landslides and flooding in several areas in Biliran province, local officials said Sunday afternoon.

A 24 Oras report said that according to Biliran Governor Gerry Boy Espina, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) has recommended placing the entire province under a state of calamity.

He said he will submit the recommendation of the PDRRMO before the provincial board on Monday morning.

Espina said majority of the fatalities died in landslides that hit several areas in the province at the height of tropical cyclone Urduja.

In an earlier interview with Super Radyo dzBB, PDRRMO head Jun Dacillo said seven people have been confirmed killed in the capital town of Naval.

The 24 Oras report said six people, including two children, were killed in landslides and due to flooding in Almeria town.

Dacillo, meanwhile, said that more or less 15 of the total number of missing people are residents of Barangay Lucsoon in Naval town. He said at least eight houses were buried by the landslide in the village.

He said search and rescue operations are ongoing for the remaining missing Barangay Lucsoon residents. He said the landslide at the height of Tropical Storm Urduja on Saturday.

Dacillo said residents of Barangay Lucsoon, which is located at the foot of a mountain, were advised to evacuate prior to Urduja's landfall in nearby Eastern Samar.

In a separate dzBB interview, Biliran town Mayor Grace Casil said they have recorded one fatality.

Meanwhile, the PDRRMO head said that the whole province is experiencing a total power outage and several areas have partial supply of water.

He said that in Naval town, which is now under a state of calamity, only half of the total population have access to clean drinking water.

Aside from drinking water, Dacillo said they may also run out of fuel, which will be needed for vehicles that will be used in search and rescue and rehabilitation operations.

He said that as of this posting, the island province is virtually isolated because major bridges have either collapsed or were submerged in floodwaters.

He said the only possible way into the province is the Cebu-Naval-Biliran route. —ALG, GMA News