TACLOBAN CITY (Updated) — Rescue personnel rushed to a village in Taft, Eastern Samar after a landslide hit two passenger buses and a utility vehicle (UV) Friday afternoon, January 3.
The landslide occurred around 4 p.m., just hours after two other landslides that hit the same area in Barangay Binaloan Friday. The first incident happened around 9:30 a.m. and the second around 11 a.m.
Authorities said the buses — JM Liner and Eaglestar — and the UV van were covered by boulders. No details yet as to how many passengers were inside the vehicles.
But Lieutenant Colonel Ma. Bella Rentuaya, spokesperson of Police Regional Office-Eastern Visayas, said no casualties have been reported as of 8 p.m.
She said the rescue operation was temporarily stopped around 7:15 p.m. due to heavy rains, which started Thursday, January 2, and which might trigger another landslide.
Police said they are having difficulty contacting the passengers due to unstable communication lines in the area.
The Wright-Taft Road in Barangay Binaloan has not been passable to all types of vehicles since 6:30 p.m. Friday.
Binalonan is about 20 kilometers away from the poblacion of Taft. (SunStar Philippines)