RESCUERS already recovered 11 bodies after a landslide triggered by continuous rains occurred at a mining site in Barangay Masara, Maco in Davao de Oro at around 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO)-Maco reported that as of 4 p.m., on Thursday, Feb. 8, 110 persons are still missing and 31 injured.
Meanwhile, 758 families from the neighboring communities have been evacuated and are now staying at the designated evacuation centers in the municipality of Mawab, a nearby town in Maco.
Most of the victims are workers of APEX Mining Corporation who were reportedly onboard two buses when the landslide occurred.
Meanwhile, Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) spokesman Lt. Col. Rosa Ma. Cristina Manuel said the roads remain unpassable and there is no phone signal in the area.
Emergency communication teams from the 10th Infantry Division have already been deployed to establish radio contact within the affected vicinity and temporary command posts (TCPs).
She said the 25th Infantry Battalion established a TCP at Tagbaros Patrol Base while the 1001st Brigade is coordinating efforts with the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (DRRMC) and the provincial incident command post.
Manuel said 14 military vehicles were mobilized to support rescue operations, alongside other vehicles from various organizations and agencies. Meanwhile, APEX also lent its heavy equipment for use when the conditions improve to resume clearing operations.
