|
Red Cross estimates 200 dead, 1,500 missing in Philippine landslide
The farming village of Guinsaugon on Leyte island, 670 kilometers (420 miles) southeast of Manila, was virtually wiped out, with only a few jumbles of corrugated steel sheeting left to show that the community of some 2,500 people ever existed. Two other villages also were affected, and about 3,000 evacuees were at a municipal hall. "We did not find injured people," said Ricky Estela, a crewman on a helicopter that flew a politician to the scene. "Most of them are dead and beneath the mud." The mud was so deep, up to 10 meters (30 feet) in some places, and unstable that rescue workers had difficulty approaching the school. Education officials said 200 students, six teachers and the principal were believed to have been there. Sen. Richard Gordon, head of the Philippine Red Cross, issued the casualty estimates and made an international appeal for aid. The provincial governor asked for people to dig by hand, saying the mud was too soft for heavy equipment.
Posted by: Fred 2006-02-18 |
||
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=142982 |