A landslide in Agoncillo, Batangas buried a house and killed a pregnant woman and three children as the southwest monsoon, enhanced by #CarinaPH, battered the area.

The pregnant woman was 28 years old while the three children were nine, 13, and 15 years old. 

"Violet na ho sila, magkakayapos. 'Yung buntis ho, parang nakaganoon po, ginanon ang anak," Grace Cardona, a local resident, said.

The landslide was triggered by persistent rainfall, which intensified between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m., according to Junfrance De Villa, from Agoncillo's Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (LDRRMO) II. 

Despite warnings issued by the barangay for residents to evacuate, the family reportedly returned to their home, even as the victims have pulled out initially.  

"Alam ko po, lumipat sila. Kaya po kaninang umaga nang sa GC (group chat) po, pagbukas ko po ng GC namin nakita ko may humingi ng rescue dahil po may mga natabunan," Precy Encarnacion, a barangay health worker, said.

The retrieval operations were challenging and took over three hours to recover the bodies.

"Gawa po nang may talahib atsaka po ng plywood. 'Yung kamay ho agad umusli, tapos hinila po namin," Lito Sanggalang, a barangay police officer, said.

The family is struggling to come to terms with the sudden loss.

"Kami nga'y dun pa galing noong pumutok ang bulkan sa isla, pero kami nakatawid ng dagat. pero sa isang gabi, bakit binawi ang anak ko?" Juliana Rimas, the grandmother, said.

The Agoncillo LGU has assured that assistance will be provided to the bereaved family. 

Additionally, authorities have evacuated around 10 more households near the mountain as of this writing.