|
|
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Search for buried school suspended on fears of more landslides (12:20 p.m.)
GUINSAUGON -- Rescue teams suspended their search Thursday for a buried elementary school because heavy rains raised fears of more landslides, and the Philippine air force grounded its helicopters because of bad weather, the military said.
Hillsides over the area where the school is believed to be buried could cave in at any time because of the wet conditions, Lt. Col. Raul Farnacio said. Searches continued in other areas.
The confirmed death toll in the landslide that buried a farming village last Friday in the Philippines rose to 122, with officials fearing it could surpass 1,000.
Earlier Thursday, searchers struggled to locate the school beneath tons of mud, still hoping against the odds that they would find survivors. Several hundred children were believed to be in the building at the time of the disaster.
Rain hampered rescue teams with sniffing dogs and sound detectors as they combed other parts of the muddy swamp that was once the village of Guinsaugon. (AP) |
|
|
|
