DAVAO CITY — Nineteen cadavers were retrieved on Sunday from the ground zero of the Masara landslide area in barangay Masara, Maco Davao de Oro increasing the death toll to 54.
The landslide area is more than a kilometer away from the Apex Mining Corporation and most of those believed to have been covered by tons pyroclastic rocks tons were company workers and residents in the area.
The soil also covered three buses, a jeepney and a dozens of houses. in Zone 1 of said barangay.
Three buses were carrying employees who finished their day shift were among those buried with soil but there is no exact number given to the authorities. The buses were owned by MSGSI (Maria-Socio General Services Inc.), a third-party manpower service under contract with Apex.
In a report released by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office tonight, it stated that “As of 7:00 PM today (February 11, 2024), we have recorded that fifty-four (54) bodies have been recovered.”
The number of rescued and injured individuals remained at thirty two (32) while 63 individuals remain missing,