HEAVY continuous rains triggered a series of landslides in Quezon, Nueva Viscaya trapping at least five persons to death on Thursday, a Police Regional Office 2 report said.
PRO2 director, Brigadier General Crizaldo O. Nieves said the landslides buried several houses in Sitio Kinalabasa, Sitio Bit-ang and Compound in Barangay Runruno in Quezon municipality.
“There is an ongoing search-and-rescue-and-retrieval operation in those areas as of press time. So far, the bodies of five persons have been pulled out from the site,” said Nieves.
The official identified the fatalities as Julie Ann Taniza,15; Francisco Napadaoan,54; Mark Conie Binwag,15; Jomar Comilang,33; and Noel Buyaco,39.
Nieves said that five others are still missing. They were identified as Ben Oyami, Gregoria Nah-oy and her 3-month old baby, one alias ‘Omar’ and Jomel Buyucan.
The Cagayan Valley police director said a search-and-rescue team from the Quezon Municipal Police Station and the Quezon municipal government, assisted by members of the 1st Mobile Force Company of the Nueva Vizcaya Police Provincial Office headed by Colonel Ranser Evasco are involved in the operation.
Additional rescuers from the PRO2 Regional Public Safety Battalion, the PNP Special Action Force and the Armed Forces backed up by dog sniffers have been dispatched to the site, Nieves added.
In Cordillera region, PNP spokesman, Col. Ysmael S. Yu said a SAR team has recovered six victims of a landslide in Sitio Sumigar in Bgy. Viewpoint, Banawe, Ifugao. Members of the Cordillera Regional Police Office and the Banaue police station, joined by soldiers from the Army’s 54th Infantry Battalion and other government agencies are involved in a search-and-rescue-and-retrieval operation in the area, said Yu.
