ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Two children were killed in a landslide that buried their home and two other houses in a village here yesterday morning, authorities said.
Police said the landslide in Sitio Cumati, Barangay Limpapa, occurred following continuous rains since Friday.
City police director Senior Superintendent Jose Chiquito Malayo said Agustin Kaluuyan, 14, and his sister Ayen, 6, were on their own when the tragedy struck as their father was out fishing while their mother went to the health center.
Another victim who has yet to be identified was rushed to a hospital in the nearby village of Labuan.
The victim’s neighbor, Christopher Antonio, said they heard a thundering sound seconds before mud and boulders buried houses situated on the slope of the hill.
Mayor Isabel Climaco-Salazar said days before the incident, they alerted residents along the riverbanks, flood and landslide – prone areas to be on guard due to abnormal weather condition.