MANILA – A landslide has killed at least 21 people and left dozens missing in Cebu province, with some texting for help from under the rubble, police said.
Thursday’s landslide engulfed two villages in Naga City.
It came days after Philippines was hit by super typhoon “Ompong” which killed more than 80 people.
Ompong did not directly hit Cebu province but led to stronger monsoon rains, increasing the risk of landslides across the country.
‘Like an earthquake’
The landslide took out a whole section of hillside on which people had built their makeshift homes.
“It was like an earthquake and there was this thundering, loud banging sound,” resident Cristita Villarba told AP.
“All of us ran out,” she said, adding that her husband and children survived the disaster.
“Many of our neighbors were crying and screaming for help. Some wanted to help those who got hit but there was too much earth covering the houses, including my brother’s,” she added.
According to local media, more than 600 families from Naga stayed in evacuation centers on Thursday night.
Messages from under the rubble
Local media cited Chief Inspector Roderick Gonzales when he said several people had been successfully rescued from inside buried houses.
“There were signs of life. Some of them managed to send text messages,” Gonzales said, raising hopes that they are trapped in air pockets in the debris.
The more than 20 houses affected were on the outskirts of the town of Naga.
There were near a former limestone quarry which might have destabilized the hillside above the village.
Local authorities had previously identified the area as landslide-prone. (BBC)
