Search, rescue ops stopped in some Agaton-hit areas as death toll climbs to 179 —OCD 8

Search, rescue and retrieval (SRR) operations in some landslide-hit areas in Baybay City, Leyte, have been stopped to ensure the safety of rescuers, a disaster official in the region said Tuesday.

Interviewed on Dobol B TV, Lord Byron Torrecarion, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense in Region 8, said SRR operations in barangays Mailhi and Bunga have been terminated.

"For Baybay, there is a termination of SRR ops in Mailhi ang Bunga. But there will be a continuation of SRR ops in [Barangay] Kantagnos," he said.

Baybay City is one of the areas heavily affected by Tropical Storm Agaton, which lashed many areas in the Visayas last week.

In Abuyog, Leyte, the SRR operations will be stopped on Wednesday, Torrecarion said.

"Today, magko-continue pa po yung SRR natin [SRR operations will continue]. It will be the last day today for Abuyog," he said.

Torrecarion said divers from the Navy on Monday assessed the coastline of the incident area in Abuyog but found no casualties. He said the divers will again check the coastline on Wednesday.

Citing the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Torrecarion said 104 people are still reported missing.

Reported death toll

As of 4:50 a.m. on Tuesday, Torrecarion said the total reported fatalities due to Agaton is at 179.

“As for the casualty, the most recent, updated early this morning around 4:50, we have 156 casualties as reported by the management of the dead cluster and 179 as reported by the IMT (Incident Management Team),” he said.

Torrecarion said 120 of the fatalities were reported from Baybay City, 56 from Abuyog, and the other three were from other areas.

Of the 179 total fatalities, only 156 have been identified so far, Torrecarion added.

The Baybay City government has declared Barangay Kantagnos as not suitable for habitation, he said. Meanwhile, in Abuyog, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau identified three areas as susceptible to landslides. 

NDRRMC report

Meanwhile, in its 8 a.m. report on Tuesday, the NDRRMC said the reported death toll rose was 175, missing people were 110, while injured persons were eight.

The NDRRMC said 156 of the fatalities were reported from Eastern Visayas, 14 from Western Visayas, three from Davao Region, and two from Central Visayas.

Only the reports on 15 deaths, six missing persons, and six injured people have been confirmed so far, according to the NDRRMC.

A total of 2,079,375 people or 599,616 families were affected by Agaton in 2,423 barangays in Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao, Soccsksargen, Caraga, and Bangsamoro.

The NDRRMC said 11,277 houses were damaged—10,517 partially and 760 totally—in Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao, Soccsksargen, and Caraga.

Damage to agriculture reached P257,025,441 in Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Soccsksargen, and Bangsamoro, while P6,950,000 of damage in infrastructure were reported in Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and Bangsamoro.

A total of 17 cities and municipalities declared a state of calamity, including Sara, Lemery, Passi, and Pototan in Iloilo, Cateel in Davao Oriental, Trento in Agusan del Sur, and the entire province of Davao de Oro.

Assistance worth P62,608,269has been provided to the affected areas, the NDRRMC said. —KBK/RSJ, GMA News