3 dead after landslide hits uphill village in Cebu City

CEBU, Philippines – Two children and one senior citizen died after soil collapsed from an upland area in Barangay Pulangbato, Cebu City on Friday, October 9.

Pulangbato Barangay Councilor Kaven Seno told Rappler in an interview that heavy rains since the first week of October had softened the soil in the village’s upland area which later resulted in a landslide.

According to Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak, a family of four was buried in the debris due to the incident.

Tumulak said that a 5-year-old child was retrieved at around 1:45 pm but died while receiving emergency care at a hospital. At around 2:26 pm, a 38-year-old woman was extracted and is currently under hospital care.

At 4:24 pm, rescuers were able to extract a 6-year-old from the rubble but the child had already died. By 5:43 pm, rescuers retrieved a 60-year-old woman who was found dead.

Tumulak told reporters that the unstable terrain at the landslide site made it difficult for search-and-rescue units to finish the extraction. 

Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival, in an update at around 3:30 pm on Friday afternoon, said that rescue and retrieval operations were underway and medical personnel are stationed on the ground in Barangay Pulangbato.

Barangay officials have announced evacuations at the area due to safety concerns caused by the incident. Affected residents are currently being evacuated to the Pulangbato Gym. – with reports from Jacqueline Hernandez/Rappler.com