Man killed in CamSur landslide —disaster response official

A man was killed in a landslide that crushed a house in Sagñay town in Camarines Sur province on Thursday afternoon.

_{Photos by Harold Bryan San Felipe}

Sagñay Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office OIC Mariano San Felipe said that the killer landslide occurred at about 12:59 p.m. in Barangay Sibaguan.

San Felipe identified the fatality as Ryan Lasmariñas, 32.

Data from the Sagñay MDRRMO indicated that five big landslides struck the province due to continuous heavy rains since Thursday morning.

Rescuers and volunteer workers helped in efforts to extricate the victim's body from the heap of soil and mud, that also blocked a portion of the Sagñay-Tiwi-Albay national road.

Lasmariñas, said to be spending his vacation for the Undas season, was pronounced dead on arrival by the time he was rushed to a town hospital.

Another resident injured in the landslide, Cristy Bantal, is currently seeking treatment.

Up to five landslides reportedly took place in a single morning due to incessant rains brought about by tropical depression “Ramil” in the past few days.

Illegal logging activities in the mountains have been said to increase the chances of landslides in the area.

Road impassable

The road stretching from South Camarines Sur going to Tiwi, Albay is deemed impassable by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as the debris from the landslide is being cleared.

The joint efforts of the Sagñay LGU, the DPWH, and the local disaster and risk reduction management office in clearing the road are expected to last until Sunday.

Evacuation efforts are also in place for residents living in several hazardous flooded locations in Sagñay. —Peewee Bacuño with Margaret Claire Layug/LBG, GMA News