Search and retrieval operations in two landslide-hit villages in Baybay City were stopped due to unstable ground conditions, the city disaster risk reduction and management office (CDRRMO) reported on Thursday night.
Citing ground assessment results, CDRRMO chief Rhyse Austero said responders have to stop searching for cadavers in Bunga and Mailhi villages for their safety.
“Search and retrieval is now concentrated in Kantagnos village. It had been stopped in other areas due to geological and health hazards,” Austero said in an update posted on Facebook.
Col. Noel Vestuir, commander of the Army’s 802nd Brigade, who deployed personnel to join the search and retrieval team said the lives of responders are in danger due to unstable ground.
“In areas where the landslide happened, it appears on the surface that the ground is stable, but it’s actually soft. It can bury our personnel. The risk is not anymore manageable,” he said in a phone interview Friday.
Before halting the operations, responders have already retrieved 22 bodies in Mailhi village and 17 in Bunga village.
The village of Mailhi still has four missing residents, Bunga has one, while in Kantagnos, 60 are still unaccounted for.
Since April 10, soldiers, police, and fireman have already found 127 bodies from landslide-hit communities in Baybay City.
The Mines and Geosciences Bureau earlier issued an advisory on the possible danger to rescuers in areas hit by the landslides.
The landslides in Leyte were triggered by days of heavy rains dumped by Tropical Storm Agaton on April 9 and 10.
Meanwhile, the Baybay city government evacuated six families after it was found out that the area where their houses are located is unsafe for habitation as recommended by MGB.
