MANILA, 1 October 2008 — At least eight people were killed in a landslide in the northern Philippine province of Ifugao amid heavy rains unleashed by tropical depression “Hanna,” the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said yesterday.
Thousands of people were also marooned because of damaged roads and bridges, and flooded homes and crops, said OCD deputy chief Anthony Golez.
In a report to Manila, the Cordillera OCD based in Baguio City said landslide buried two houses in the village of Upper Pitawan in Hingyon town, at 10 p.m. Saturday, killing eight victims. A ninth victim was still missing.
The victims were identified as Johanny Manwong, 3; Midan Manwong, 5; Ruby Manwong, 7; Joel Linlingon, 27; Rommel Linlingon, 30; Hiyadan Cotillo, 30; Irma Hidaan, 50; and Julia Linlingon, 58.
A lone survivor, 9-year-old Denver Bogbog, was being treated at a local hospital for injuries, officials said.
“Our rescue workers pulled out some bodies under tons of mud and rain water,” Golez told reporters.
He said emergency teams were searching for four more people believed to be buried by a mudslide that thundered through houses on the slopes of the Cordillera mountains in Ifugao province on Saturday.
“One resident was also brought to a nearby hospital after he was found half-buried in mud and rainwater,” he said.
With winds of up to 55 kilometers per hour, Hanna has moved onto the South China Sea and was moving toward the coast of Vietnam, said the Philippine weather bureau.
An average of 20 tropical cyclones enter the Philippine area of responsibility every year.
