DAVAO CITY —(UPDATED) Dozens were trapped when a landslide occurred near a mining site in Barangay Masara, Maco, Davao de Oro at around 7:00 Tuesday night.
Maco is among the mining town of Davao de Oro. It is the base of Apex Mining Co., Inc. (AMCI).
A Newsline source who were among the first responders revealed that the landslide happened at around 7:00 in the evening near the bus terminal of the Apex Mining Corporation which is just about 500 meters away from the company gate.
He revealed that the two buses and a passenger jeepney filled with workers and several houses were covered by tons of mud.
“Na-timing nga shifting sa mga tao, nakasakay sa bus ang uban, naay pasulod naa say pagawas na (the incident happened when the night shift workers were coming in and the other shift were coming out,”) the source said.
The bus carried employees who were either going in or going out for their shift.
A report received by the Philippine National Police Regional Command from Maco Police Station revealed that at about 7:50 p.m. the police received “A report that a landslide incident occurred at the said place. “
Initial information gathered by the police revealed “That several residents and properties might have been victims of the incident..
Personnel of Maco Municipal Police Station together with MDRRMO are on the way to Bgy. Masara for search, retrieval and rescue operation.
SURVIVORS
Two bus passengers survived survived recalled they were inside the Apex bus when they heard a loud thud “Tong nakita namu ang yuta nga nagdagan, gisira namu ang bintana, maayo na lang kay naa mi sa sulod sa bus lig-on ang among cover. (When we saw the soil moving fast, we immediately closed the window of the bus, it was good that we were inside the bus, our cover was sturdy).
One of the survivors said he saw three buses, a jeepney and the houses near the terminal covered with soil and they do not know what happened next.
FORCED EVACUATION
As of presstime, the municipal government has ordered a forced evacuation among residents from barangays Masara, Elizalde Mainit and Tagbaros.
Police regional Director BGen. Alden B Delvo deployed the Urban Search and Rescue Team of the PNP to help the local rescue team from Davao de Oro.
The source said a landslide occurred in Masara last week.
APEX STATEMENT
The management of Apex Mining IC., in a press statement released on Tuesday night, clarified that the incident happened outside their mining area but they currently tracing the whereabouts of the buses dispatched to ferry the outgoing employees.
The company added that they are working with the office of Representative Ruwel Peter Gonzaga, which serves as the command center of the government’s response team, the provincial government and the local government units of Maco and Mawab for the rescue operations.
2008 LANDSLIDE
On September 8, 2008 fourteen people include three kids were buried alive when tons of mud buried a mining village.
