Rescue ops continue for 5 missing children in Sagbayan, Bohol

Rescue operations are ongoing to recover five missing children believed to have been buried alive under piles of mud and rock following a landslide in Bohol triggered by a powerful quake that jolted parts of Central Visayas last week.

 

According to a report on GMA News' Unang Balita on Tuesday, the children were last seen in Bayong Falls in Sagbayan town before the deadly magnitude-7.2 quake struck the region. Bohol and Cebu were the hardest-hit provinces. 

 

The television report said rescue teams have uncovered a bag belonging to one of the children under the mud and rock, noting that the victims may be near.

 

The rescue teams, however, stressed the need for a heavy equipment such as a backhoe to be used in the operation.

 

"Okay lang kung may equipment gaya ng backhoe, kasi ang sitwasyon namin ngayon ay nagpapapala lang kami. Mano-mano, kumbaga," said a member of the rescue team.

 

As of 5 a.m. Tuesday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said the death toll has climbed to 190, including 177 in Bohol, 12 in Cebu and one in Siquijor.
The NDRRMC added that 2,384 aftershocks had been recorded from the quake. Of these, 57 were felt.

 

The NDRRMC said the quake affected 588,564 families or 2,945,963 people in 1,282 villages in 52 towns and six cities in six provinces.

 

Of these, 20,995 families or 111,239 people are staying in 104 evacuation centers. — with Amanda Fernandez/RSJ, GMA News