Landslide strands Cagayan commuters

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya — Thousands of commuters were stranded overnight Saturday after a major landslide completely closed traffic on both sides of Dalton Pass which separates Cagayan Valley from the rest of the country.

Traffic build-up began at about 3 p.m. Saturday after a heavy downpour eroded earth that covered a section of the national highway in Dalton Pass in the mountain town of Santa Fe, the threshold to Cagayan Valley.

District engineer Ronald Reyes of the Department of Public Works and Highways immediately dispatched his men to the site, but continuous rains caused more erosion, preventing the maintenance personnel from completely clearing the road.

Heavy downpours have been occurring almost every afternoon in the province, causing landslides in the Dalton Pass area. Last Oct. 9, another landslide closed traffic and isolated the region for about five hours.

The soil in the Dalton Pass area and other parts of the province was greatly loosened as a result of the 1990 earthquake, resulting in landslides even with a drizzle. — Charlie Lagasca