17 bodies recovered, 11 still missing, in DPWH landslide in Mt. Province, says PDRRMO

Photo released by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) in Mountain Province showing the landslide site in Natonin, Mt. Province. (Photo courtesy Mt. Province PDRRMO)

 

(Eagle News) — Seventeen bodies were recovered as of Nov. 5 from the deadly landslide in Natonin, Mountain Province where the Department of Public Works and Highways second district engineering office had been obliterated by mud and rubble brought about by last week’s typhoon Rosita.

This was according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Mountain Province on Tuesday morning, Nov. 6.

Eleven people are still missing, and believe to have been buried in the landslide.

Search and retrieval operations continued with the help of miners from Itogon, Benguet where a deadly landslide had also occurred after the onslaught of typhoon Ompong in mid-September.

The PDRRMO report posted on its Facebook page said only one dead body was recovered on Monday, Nov. 5, bringing the total number of dead bodies recovered at 17.

Of this number, three are still unidentified, it said.

Two of the cadavers were brought to the Carbonel Funeral Parlor Service in Alfonso Lista, Ifugao.

The following is the breakdown of the search and recovery operations since the deadly Oct. 30 landslide that buried buildings of the DPWH in Natonin where some 30 people are said to have been inside:

INCIDENT COMMAND POST REPORT AS OF NOVEMBER 6, 2018; 6:00 AM(0600 HRS)
LOCATION:GROUND ZERO, BANAWEL, NATONIN, MT. PROVINCE
SUMMARY REPORT
31 Oct:
Missing – 26
Retrieved – 4
01 Nov:
Missing – 22
Retrieved – 4
02 Nov:
Missing – 18 + 2=20
Retrieved – 4
03 Nov:
Missing – 16
Retrieved- 2
04 Nov:
Missing-14
Retrieved-2
05 Nov:
Missing-12
Retrieved-1
06 NOV:
Missing:11

The PDRRMO said that the road from Paracelis towards Ground Zero in Natonin is “open but controlled,” meaning that the “road is open but vehicles pass one at a time (alternately).”

-PHL Red Cross sends team to help out in Natonin-

Among those who also helped out at the site were Philippine Red Cross members who had to go through 40 landslides and walk nine hours long to reach ground zero in Natonin to conduct search and rescue operations.

In one of his tweets, PRC Chairman, Senator Richard Gordon commended the dedication and indefatigable spirit of the Red Cross staff and volunteers doing the said operations.

Some of the Philippine Red Cross volunteers helping out in the Natonin landslide site in Mountain Province.
(Photo courtesy Philippine Red Cross)

“Even on a holiday, our teams are tirelessly conducting search and retrieval operations for the missing bodies in the landslide incident in Natonin, Mt. Province. Our payloaders are big help in clearing muddy areas in the site. Kudos to the team”

On October 31, PRC already deployed a humanitarian caravan with payloader, humvee, six wheeler truck, tower light, three portable generators, ambulance, hotmeals on wheels vehicle, and rescue gears to Mt. Province.

To aid in the prompt response, OceanaGold Philippines responded to the request of PRC Chairman Gordon of having additional shovels and axes to the PRC rescuers.

Aside from helping in the search and retrieval operations, the Philippine Red Cross team also provided hot meals for affected communities of Typhoon Rosita.

(with a PRC release)