By PNA
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Search, rescue, and retrieval operations are underway in Calanogas, Lanao del Sur, following a landslide early Friday, according to the police.
The Lanao del Sur police said the incident happened at about 2:30 a.m. in Barangay Ngingir, with five persons killed, two injured, and six remain missing after they were trapped beneath the rubble.
Two of the missing are surnamed Abdulrashid, two carry the family name Ali, and the other two are Arab and Abdulmajid.
Police said the responders arrived on foot at the landslide scene at 6 a.m. as the roads leading to the area were impassable to vehicles.
“Responders secured the incident site and conducted manual excavation and mechanical digging to extricate the victims trapped beneath the debris,” it said in its report.
Initial investigation disclosed that the landslide was caused by continuous heavy rainfall, resulting in the collapse of a large volume of soil that instantly buried the victims residing in the vicinity.
The prolonged heavy rainfall was due to the southwest monsoon or ‘’habagat’’ enhanced by typhoon Inday.
Rescuers include personnel from the Calanogas Municipal Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the local government unit, barangay officials, and volunteers.
