Asia-Pacific News
Philippine leader orders probe after landslide
Jan 5, 2012, 8:02 GMT
Manila - Philippine President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday ordered an investigation into why residents had not been evacuated from a mining town where at least 25 people were killed in a landslide earlier in the day.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda noted geo-hazard maps were given to officials of Pantukan town in Compostella Valley, 930 kilometres south of Manila, as early as April to inform them of areas that needed to be evacuated.
While the areas marked as high-risk were difficult to reach, Lacierda said, 'The responsibility of evacuating or doing forced evacuation is with the local government officials. This (accident) is totally unacceptable.'
Lacierda said authorities would also look into why small-scale mining operations were still widespread in the area when they were banned by the government.
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