Davao de Oro landslide death toll climbs to 92

MANILA, Philippines – Authorities have recorded a total of 92 dead from the landslide in Maco, Davao de Oro, according to the municipal government, with search operations still ongoing for several missing persons.

The Maco municipal government said in a news release Thursday evening that 36 people were still missing following the Feb. 6 landslide that devastated the town.

The landslide, caused by heavy rainfall, had buried a bus terminal for employees of Apex Mining Co, a barangay hall and nearby houses.

RELATED: 2 buses full of mining firm workers buried in Davao de Oro landslide  

A total of 1,315 families in four barangays in Maco municipality were affected, according to the  National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Authorities have since shifted their operations from search, rescue, and retrieval to search and retrieval.

Several groups, including environmental and farmers groups, have since called for an investigation into the large-scale mining operations of Apex Mining Co., stressing that the victims of the grim incidents were primarily their workers.

In condemning the incident, Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment said the landslide was caused by a “deadly combination” of the climate crisis and irresponsible businesses.