Recovered bodies from Davao de Oro landslide increase to 10

Three more bodies were recovered from the landslide area in Maco, Davao de Oro on Thursday, increasing the number of fatalities to 10 with dozens more still missing, the provincial government said.

Citing information from Maco Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) as of 2:30 p.m., the Davao de Oro government said 49 people are still missing.

“We have recorded that ten (10) bodies have been recovered from the landslide and thirty-one (31) injured persons have been rescued,” the provincial government said.

“Currently, there are forty-nine (49) reported missing individuals,” it added.

90 missing?

However, based on a report from the police, there are 90 people missing, according to Edward Macapili, the executive assistant on information and communications of the province.

“Their records provide na nasa 90 yung missing. That’s why we are trying to collaborate our two data para naman magkaroon ng validity yung dalawang entity or institution na we can come up with a uniform information,” Macapili told reporters.

(Their records provide that 90 are missing. That's why we are trying to collaborate our two data so that the two entities or institutions may validate and come up with a uniform information.)

Due to the chances that the missing persons are already dead, Macapili said their operations are now shifted from “search and rescue” to “search and retrieval.”

Landslide

On Tuesday night, a landslide struck a garage of a bus company, a barangay hall, and residential areas at Zone 1 Barangay Masara in Maco town.

The affected area was near a mining site where employees were working on three shifts for its 24-hour operation. Some workers were reportedly about to go home when the landslide occurred.

Aside from around 30 passengers of the two buses, more residents were feared buried in the landslide, according to local disaster officials.

The landslide reportedly covered a large area, making it difficult for rescuers to search for victims.

A northeast monsoon and a trough of low pressure has brought rains in southern Mindanao region from Jan. 28 to Feb. 2, resulting in deadly floods and landslides, 

Before the landslide in Maco, 21 deaths due to floods and landslides were reported in Davao de Oro and Davao del Norte, according to the provincial disaster risk reduction and management offices.

As of Thursday morning, 1,193,443 people were affected by the inclement weather. The affected regions were Northern Mindanao, Davao, Soccsksargen, Caraga and Bangsamoro.

Of the affected population, 68,024 people or 18,551 families were staying in 275 evacuation centers while 605,573 people or 166,271 families were staying in other places.

According to the Office of Civil Defense in Region XI, some of the evacuees in Maco are now gradually returning to their homes after authorities inspected the concerned area where the landslide also covered a portion of a river.

Damage to infrastructure worth P123,547,000 was reported. A total of 1,308 houses were also damaged — 552 totally and 756 partially.

State of calamity has been declared in the entire province of Agusan del Sur and in Lingig town in Surigao del Sur.

On Wednesday, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. announced that his office has released P265 million to assist those affected by the floods and landslides that hit Davao region.  —KBK/RSJ, GMA Integrated News