Landslide buries village in Batangas; 14 dead

Days of incessant rains unleashed a landslide that buried at least 14 people, including 12 children, with six others still missing in Talisay town in Batangas on Thursday night.

-  ARNELL OZAETA

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Patrolwoman Nenette Landicho of the Talisay Police Station yesterday confirmed the retrieval of the bodies of the 14 victims from the site of the landslide that occurred around 7 p.m. in Purok B in Barangay Sampaloc.

Batangas police director Col. Jacinto Malinao said the death toll could rise to 16 as they are still looking for the six missing people including a woman and her child who were buried in the landslide.

The incident followed days of heavy rains brought by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine, which began affecting the province on Tuesday.

In a Facebook post, Talisay Mayor Nestor Natanauan expressed concern over the extent of the disaster, saying that Kristine has greatly damaged their town.

"We are continually checking and taking care of the affected individuals and families," the post said.

He assured the people of Talisay that the search for the missing would continue.

At least 311 families - comprising 1,457 people have taken shelter in evacuation centers across Talisay.

In Batangas province, a total of 5,000 families or 17,700 people are housed in 266 evacuation centers, while an additional 1,402 families have sought refuge outside official shelters.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) reported that 133 houses have been destroyed and 567 houses damaged due to the continuous rains and landslides.

In addition to the 14 deaths in Talisay, 14 more people have been reported dead in other parts of Batangas. Ten people are still missing and three others were injured during the storm and subsequent landslides, according to the PDRRMO.

Eight people from Laurel town died as a result of a landslide, Malinao said, while the remaining 11 fatalities were from other areas in the province.

Apart from Talisay and Laurel, the two other hardest-hit areas are Lemery and Calatagan.