THE fatalities due to the landslide that hit the municipality of Maco in Davao de Oro have increased to 35.
In a statement, the Municipality of Maco reported that as of 6 p.m. on February 10, 2024, 35 bodies had been recovered from the landslide area, with 77 still missing, and 32 individuals injured due to the incident.
In a radio interview, Edward Macapili, the provincial government's executive assistant for communications and public information, said rescue, search and retrieval operations were halted at 5 p.m. on Saturday and will resume on Sunday, February 11.
He said rescuers dug up to 30 to 50 meters deep in ground zero, where they found some of the victims' bodies.
Davao de Oro Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) chief Joseph Randy Loy in a separate interview said they are hoping to find more survivors.
On Friday, February 9, rescuers successfully extracted a three-year-old girl from the rubble.
The landslide occurred on the evening of Tuesday, February 6 in Zone 1, Barangay Masara in Maco, Davao de Oro, which houses the garage of a mining company.
Majority of the victims were employees of the mining company, who were then on board a bus on their way home.
The landslide was reportedly attributed to the combined effects of the northeast monsoon and a trough of low-pressure area, which have been impacting the Mindanao region since January 28. (SunStar Philippines)