Asia-Pacific News
Rescuers race to find missing after Philippine quake and landslides
Feb 9, 2012, 6:37 GMT
Manila - Philippine rescuers on Thursday battled against time, rain and equipment shortages in their search for at least 71 people missing in landslides for three days.
Thirty people have been confirmed killed by Monday's landslides, triggered by heavy rains and a magnitude-6.9 earthquake.
Search operations for 29 missing in the village of Planas in Guihulngan City in Negros Oriental province, 570 kilometres south of Manila, were suspended after heavy rains and fears that the remaining part of the collapsed mountain would break.
Army Captain Anacito Naz said heavy equipment was being used in nearby La Libertad town to dig through more than 3 metres of soil in a landslide in the village of Solonggon, where 42 people are unaccounted for. Rescuers have so far found only one body and animal carcasses, he said.
In Jimalalud town, rescuers retrieved four bodies buried in another landslide, bringing to 30 the official death toll in the quake, civil defence chief Benito Ramos said.
Ramos earlier expressed fears that the chances of finding survivors were slim.
COMMENT
blog comments powered by DisqusLatest Headlines in Asia-Pacific
- 1. Chinese dissidents hail late democracy activist Fang Lizhi
- 2. China "worried" over planned North Korea rocket launch
- 3. Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi meets Karen rebels
- 4. Chinese schoolboy sells kidney to buy iPad, iPhone
- 5. Myanmar president invites Karen rebels to form party
Older Talkback
