By Jim Lloyd Dongiapon
One person was killed and three others are still missing after a landslide in Barangay Don Salvador Lopez in Mati City on Wednesday, December 28.
According to data from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the low pressure area (LPA), which was last spotted at 200 kilometers (km) northeast of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur or 210 kilometers (km) east of Surigao City, Surigao del Norte, and the shear line, the meeting point of warm and cold air, both contributed to the continuous rains that caused the landslide.
Based on the report released by the Mati City Information Office, the landslide occurred at around 11:00 AM at Purok Sangay in the said barangay.
The erosion isolated seven puroks: Upper Cangusan, Lower Cangusan, Proper Cangusan, Tabon-tabon, New Camotes, Sta. Cruz and Biasong.
The body of an unidentified adult male was recovered yesterday at 5:38 PM by rescue teams from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Davao Oriental Provincial DRRMO, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Bangsamoro Radio Assistance on Communication and Emergency Services (BRACES), the Philippine Army, and the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO).
Because the area is said to be more dangerous at night, the retrieval operations were temporarily halted at 6:04 p.m. yesterday evening. It is scheduled to resume at 7:00 a.m. today.
Meanwhile, the identities of the remaining missing individuals remain unknown as of this writing.