BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – Teams are still looking for 19 people believed to be under the rubble in a Department of Public Works and Highways building in Natonin, Mountain Province that was buried by a landslide on Tuesday afternoon.
Superintendent Pelita Tacio, spokesperson for the Cordillera regional police office, said figures have not changed as of mid-afternoon Thursday: Four have been found dead, 14 were recovered injured while 19 remain missing.
This, as search, rescue and retrieval operations in Sitio Ha’rang of Barangay Banawel are on their second day.
Sniffer dogs were flown in in a Philippine Air Force helicopter Thursday morning to help look for the victims, who were caught in a landslide as Typhoon Rosita passed through northern Luzon.
Search and rescue teams that set off from Bontoc on Wednesday arrived at the landslide site on Thursday morning, the Mountain Province Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.
The rescuers' main concern now, it added, is the weather as intermittent rain has made digging in the area difficult.
More SAR teams are set to arrive in the area, which is 10 hours by land from Paracelis town had been temporarily cut off by landlides.
Paracelis is 10 hours from Baguio City via Santiago City in Isabela.