Landslides kill at least 4 in northern Philippines
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A landslide in southern Philippines on June 10. On Aug 6, a hillside in Benguet province gave way and collapsed on a small restaurant, burying three employees who had been in the kitchen.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Landslides in northern Philippines killed at least four people, including three in Benguet province and two in Rizal province, caused by heavy rains from a tropical depression.
- Government offices and schools were closed in Manila and northern provinces due to severe weather and risk of flooding and landslides.
- The Philippines faces frequent storms, with climate change increasing the severity and frequency of extreme weather events, worsening disaster risks for millions.
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MANILA – Landslides in the Philippines killed four people, the authorities said on Aug 6, as heavy rain driven by a tropical depression raked the country’s north and forced school closures.
The archipelago nation’s main island Luzon has been battered by heavy rain over the past four days.
Government offices and schools were ordered closed in the capital and across a swathe of northern provinces due to the rain.
In Benguet province, a six-hour drive north of Manila, a hillside gave way and collapsed on a small restaurant on Aug 6, burying three employees who had been in the kitchen.
“One is alive. Two were dead on the spot,” Colonel Dionisio Bonoy of the Benguet provincial police told reporters.
“At 10am, the survivor was retrieved. That was our priority earlier. With the help of God, we hope he survives.”
The country’s national disaster agency separately confirmed two others had been killed in a landslide in neighbouring Rizal province the day before.
Earlier on Aug 6, government meteorologist John Manalo said sustained winds were at about 55kmh, as the depression, formerly Tropical Storm Kujira, moved towards the Philippine Sea.
“Severe winds can still affect most parts of the country,” he warned.
“Since our land is already saturated and soaked, the potential for flooding and landslides will be higher.”
The Philippines is the first major landmass facing the Pacific cyclone belt.
The archipelago is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year, putting millions of people in disaster-prone areas in a state of constant poverty.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is making extreme weather more frequent, prolonged and intense. AFP
