Manila: The Philippines on Friday temporarily suspended all quarrying operations in seven regions following a landslide near a limestone quarry that killed at least 29 people, with dozens more feared trapped under the rubble.
As search, rescue and retrieval operations continued at the landslide site in Naga City on the central island of Cebu, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu announced the 15-day suspension pending safety assessments at other quarrying areas.
President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed indignation over Thursday’s landslide in Naga City, Cebu as disaster workers recovered the remains of 29 fatalities from the site on Friday. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the latest occurrences further reinforces the view of the president that mining activities in the country should be stopped.
Roque said the president was outraged over the landslide in Naga City in Central Philippines when the country is recovering from the disaster brought about by typhoon Mangkhut in Northern Luzon.
“The Philippines has yet to recover from Mangkhut, which also caused a similarly devastating landslide, when the incident in Sitio Sindulan, in Tinaan, Naga City took place,” he said.
Duterte is expected to visit the site of the landslide in Naga City on Friday, according to Roque.
Latest reports reaching Manila said 29 fatalities had been recovered from the landslide Sitio Sindulan.
Some 744 families or 2,313 individuals have been moved to evacuation centres in Naga City and the adjacent municipality of San Fernando.
According to disaster response officials, more than 50 people remain missing and are feared dead from the landslide.
Mayor Christine Chong said in a government television interview that search and rescue operations will continue although the safety of the rescuers will be given priority due to the observations that the ground at the disaster site is prone to moving and could trigger another landslide.
The regional office of the Mines and Geoscience Bureau in Cebu (MGB 7) said “heavy rainfall on the night of September 19 and early morning of September 20 may have triggered the landslide in Sitio Sindulan.
“The area is underlain by limestone rocks and cracks and fissures are common in the area.”
There had been reports that earth movement in the landslide area had been noticed since two weeks ago. This prompted the MGB 7 to issue a “cease and desist order” to the land developer of the site, Apo Land Corporation.
The landslide in Cebu took place just five days after typhoon Mangkhut cause landslides and similar events in Northern Luzon.
Executive director Ricardo Jalad of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said their official tally of fatalities from Mangkhut is 23 and 21 injured with two missing in the regions of Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Metro Manila and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
Most of the fatalities are in CAR.
— With inputs from Reuters
