 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The landslides, which cascaded down a mountainside with frightening booms, buried about 28 houses and forced up to 5,000 people in Masara and nearby villages to run for their lives, said Mayor Voltaire Rimando.
Rimando said he declared a state of emergency in Masara, which he described as a "no man’s land" because of the danger and the devastation, to allow the rapid release of disaster relief funds from the town’s coffers.
Rimando said heavy rains made rescue work too dangerous Sunday, but rescuers resumed operations Monday.
Areas where many victims are believed still buried had not yet been reached because the soil was too watery, he said. "Hopefully the weather will cooperate," he added.
Provincial Governor Arturo Uy said he would request more expert rescuers from the national government and private groups, and enlist the help of geologists from two leading universities in Manila.
Army and police, backed by two air force helicopters and workers from a gold-mining company, battled heavy rains and mud to search for villagers reported buried, regional police Chief Andres Caro told The Associated Press by telephone.
