Tuesday, February 28, 2006 |
LEYTE LANDSLIDE
On 17 February 2006, Mt. Kan-abag collapsed with such fury burying the farming village of Guinsaugon. Two weeks of heavy torrential rains and an earthquake tremor (the area lies along a fault line) violently loosened the already unstable volcanic terrain, pelting the area below with rocks and earth that piled up to an estimated 25-30 metres. Hundreds were estimated to have perished, including over 200 elementary school children attending classes, with over 1500 people believed to be missing.
International response was swift with Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Turkey sending in rescue teams to aid in the search and rescue mission. Spain sent in a K-9 search and rescue team augmenting the Philippine K-9 Search and Rescue Foundation's team of dogs that arrived at the disaster site the day after tragedy struck. US Marines slated for Balikatan training exercises in the Philippines were diverted to assist in search and rescue missions in southern Leyte.
Most of the towns adjacent to Guinsaugong were evacuated and families were sent to various evacuation centers in and around St. Bernard, Leyte.
During the day, locals returned to their homes to retrieve personal items; however, all would return to the evacuation centers after their errands were done in fear of being stuck in another disaster. Most locals describe the mountain as "exploding" from the top, preceded by a loud rumbling noise that sounded like heavy machinery or helicopters. Suddenly, what they thought what was black smoke spewed out of the top of the mountain and cascaded down the slope to eventually bury the town of Guinsaugon.
© 2006 Ninfa Z. Bito. All rights reserved.
12:00 Posted in All Images, Leyte Landslide | Permalink | Comments (0) | Tags: guinsaugon, letye, st. bernard, philippines, mudslide, landslide, natural disasters
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