Child found alive 2 days after Davao de Oro landslide

A child was rescued alive from the rubble two days after the landslide in Maco, Davao de Oro, according to the municipal government on Friday.

“Yes,” Maco information officer Jiesyl Mae Tan confirmed to GMA News Online in a text message.

In a statement, the provincial government said the girl received medical attention and is in stable condition.

“A miraculous little girl survived the landslide that hit Zone 1, Barangay Masara, Maco. This girl was rescued this morning during an ongoing search, rescue, and retrieval operation by our responders,” it said.

“So far, this child’s condition is confirmed to be stable after receiving proper medical attention by doctors and nurses at the hospital,” it added.

As of Friday morning, officials said the number of missing persons from the landslide was at 110 with 15 bodies already recovered and 31 injured people rescued.

Asked why the number of missing people suddenly increased, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) spokesperson Edgar Posadas said authorities are validating reports first before releasing them.

The operation for the search of other victims is still ongoing, according to Posadas.

“Ang ginagawa po natin, hindi ko lamang po alam iyong detalye ng shifting because I am not on the ground, pero nilimitahan po natin for the safety of everyone pati po noong mga rescuers natin,” he told Balitanghali.

(What we are doing, I don’t know the details of the shifting because I am not on the ground, but we have limited it for the safety of everyone, including our rescuers.)

“We are expecting some rains again throughout the weekend sa Davao Region,” he added.

Due to the chances that the missing persons have already perished, authorities said on Thursday that operations have been shifted from “search and rescue” to “search and retrieval.”

The landslide happened on Tuesday night, burying homes and two buses, which a provincial official said were carrying more than two dozen passengers.

Torrential rains have battered Davao de Oro in recent weeks, triggering floods and landslides.

Colonel Rosa Ma Cristina Rosete-Manuel, spokesperson for the military's Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) helping lead the rescue operations, earlier said rescuers remained hopeful of finding survivors. 

Before the landslide in Maco, a total of 21 deaths due to floods and landslides were reported in Davao de Oro and Davao del Norte, according to the provincial disaster risk reduction and management offices.

NDRRMC report

As of Friday morning, 1,195,672 people were affected by the Northeast Monsoon or Amihan and the trough of a low pressure area (LPA), the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said in a report.

The affected regions were Northern Mindanao, Davao, Soccsksargen, Caraga and Bangsamoro.

Of the affected population, 49,004 people or 13,241 families were staying in 188 evacuation centers while 303,060 people or 99,611 families were staying in other places.

Some of the evacuees in Maco are gradually returning to their homes, the Office of Civil Defense Davao said on Thursday.

Damage to infrastructure worth P123,547,000 was reported, according to the NDRRMC. A total of 1,253 houses were also damaged — 510 totally and 743 partially.

Assistance worth P146,666,618 has been provided to the victims, the NDRRMC said.

State of calamity was declared in the entire province of Agusan del Sur and in Lingig town in Surigao del Sur.

"On 28 January 2024, the Northeast Monsoon and the Trough of the LPA ffected Mindanao," the NDRRMC said.

"The trough of the LPA continued to bring light to heavy rains until 03 February 2024. This resulted in flooding and landslide incidents in some areas in Mindanao. On 03 February 2024, 11:00 AM, the LPA has dissipated," it added.  —KBK/RSJ, GMA Integrated News