Death toll from Philippines landslide jumps to 68
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MANILA – The death toll from a landslide in southern Philippines
Rescuers were looking for 51 more people in the wake of the Feb 6 landslide.
It struck outside a gold mine in Maco town in Davao de Oro province, and buried homes and vehicles that were supposed to ferry employees of the mining company.
The authorities plan to shift the focus from search and rescue to search and retrieval beginning on Feb 13, Maco town disaster officer Ariel Capoy said.
Torrential rains have battered Davao de Oro in recent weeks, triggering floods and landslides, forcing many families to flee their homes.
The United States, through the US Agency for International Development, was providing US$1.25 million (S$1.7 million) in humanitarian aid to the affected communities in the southern islands, its embassy in Manila said in a statement.
The US Defense Department also provided two C-130 cargo planes to help deliver food packs to the affected communities. REUTERS
