Philippine Mudslide Rescuers Get Power to Work Into the Night
Francisco Alcuaz Jr - Bloomberg
Search-and-rescue operations will continue today after nightfall, as electric generators have been installed to provide power at a central Philippine town buried two days ago by a mudslide.
Operations are concentrated in an area where a school was buried and more than 200 people, mostly children, were feared dead, said Southern Leyte Governor Rosette Lerias. On Friday morning, part of a mountain outside Saint Bernard town in the province gave way after two weeks of rains. The mud buried the Saint Bernard village of Guinsaugon, including 300 or more homes, a chapel and the schoolhouse.
``Power and lights have been installed, so operations can go on tonight,'' Lerias said in a telephone interview today from the site. ``They are all concentrating on the school site.'' In the last two days, rescuers were forced to stop with nightfall.
There were 68 confirmed dead and 55 survivors as of this afternoon, Lerias said. Two survivors had died. Experts from Malaysia and the U.S. arrived to help in the operations, she said.
The Malaysians brought equipment to remove rubbles and for underground rescue, she said. The American team is clearing and building more roads. Medicines, food and other supplies, doctors and more rescuers from the nation's capital of Manila also arrived this morning, she said.
An estimated 928 people were missing, based on information from their relatives, Lerias said.
Operations Continue
No decision had been made to end rescue operations and shift efforts toward recovery, Office of Civilian Defense Deputy Administrator Anthony Golez said in an interview this morning.
``We continue to go all out with search, rescue and relief operations,'' Golez said today in a telephone interview from Manila.
Government agencies, officials and organizations including the Red Cross had varying numbers for the village's population, the dead and injured.
Golez said that as of this morning there were 50 people confirmed dead, 20 injured and 953 missing.
Philippine National Red Cross Funding Director Gwen Pang said today in a telephone interview from Manila that 56 were dead, 35 injured and 906 missing. She was preparing to fly with U.S. Embassy officials to Saint Bernard, about 650 kilometers (403 miles) south of the capital.
Assistance
U.S. Navy ships with 5,500 crewmembers were sent toward the site to help with the rescue, relief and recovery efforts, according to the U.S. State Department. The ships were at Subic Bay, a former U.S. Navy base north of the capital, for exercises with the Philippine military.
China, Taiwan, Thailand and Australia yesterday gave or pledged financial or other assistance, Agence France-Presse reported. The United Nations and International Committee of the Red Cross sent or pledged financial assistance earlier.
As many as 2,318 people from 510 families residing in neighboring villages have been evacuated in case of further mudslides, Golez said.
While the Philippines is approaching its summer season, the La Nina weather phenomenon will result in three to four times more rainfall than normal in the first half of the year, the weather bureau said last week. La Nina refers to the periodic cooling of surface temperatures of the equatorial Pacific Ocean, which causes abnormal weather patterns.
TV grab of BBC report on the arrival of US troops to assist in rescue operation at Leyte
CNN grab with the land/mud slide in the background of reporter Hugh Riminton as he stands on the rocks that came from the mountains
Search-and-rescue operations will continue today after nightfall, as electric generators have been installed to provide power at a central Philippine town buried two days ago by a mudslide.
Operations are concentrated in an area where a school was buried and more than 200 people, mostly children, were feared dead, said Southern Leyte Governor Rosette Lerias. On Friday morning, part of a mountain outside Saint Bernard town in the province gave way after two weeks of rains. The mud buried the Saint Bernard village of Guinsaugon, including 300 or more homes, a chapel and the schoolhouse.
``Power and lights have been installed, so operations can go on tonight,'' Lerias said in a telephone interview today from the site. ``They are all concentrating on the school site.'' In the last two days, rescuers were forced to stop with nightfall.
There were 68 confirmed dead and 55 survivors as of this afternoon, Lerias said. Two survivors had died. Experts from Malaysia and the U.S. arrived to help in the operations, she said.
The Malaysians brought equipment to remove rubbles and for underground rescue, she said. The American team is clearing and building more roads. Medicines, food and other supplies, doctors and more rescuers from the nation's capital of Manila also arrived this morning, she said.
An estimated 928 people were missing, based on information from their relatives, Lerias said.
Operations Continue
No decision had been made to end rescue operations and shift efforts toward recovery, Office of Civilian Defense Deputy Administrator Anthony Golez said in an interview this morning.
``We continue to go all out with search, rescue and relief operations,'' Golez said today in a telephone interview from Manila.
Government agencies, officials and organizations including the Red Cross had varying numbers for the village's population, the dead and injured.
Golez said that as of this morning there were 50 people confirmed dead, 20 injured and 953 missing.
Philippine National Red Cross Funding Director Gwen Pang said today in a telephone interview from Manila that 56 were dead, 35 injured and 906 missing. She was preparing to fly with U.S. Embassy officials to Saint Bernard, about 650 kilometers (403 miles) south of the capital.
Assistance
U.S. Navy ships with 5,500 crewmembers were sent toward the site to help with the rescue, relief and recovery efforts, according to the U.S. State Department. The ships were at Subic Bay, a former U.S. Navy base north of the capital, for exercises with the Philippine military.
China, Taiwan, Thailand and Australia yesterday gave or pledged financial or other assistance, Agence France-Presse reported. The United Nations and International Committee of the Red Cross sent or pledged financial assistance earlier.
As many as 2,318 people from 510 families residing in neighboring villages have been evacuated in case of further mudslides, Golez said.
While the Philippines is approaching its summer season, the La Nina weather phenomenon will result in three to four times more rainfall than normal in the first half of the year, the weather bureau said last week. La Nina refers to the periodic cooling of surface temperatures of the equatorial Pacific Ocean, which causes abnormal weather patterns.
TV grab of BBC report on the arrival of US troops to assist in rescue operation at Leyte
CNN grab with the land/mud slide in the background of reporter Hugh Riminton as he stands on the rocks that came from the mountains
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