2 children die, 6 hurt in Davao landslide

DAVAO CITY — Two children were killed while six others were injured when a landslide hit a downtown barangay in Mati, Davao Oriental last Friday afternoon.

Reports reaching the regional civil defense office said the children were playing near a construction site along Limatoc street in Sitio Marilog, Barangay Central when the landslide occurred.

The two fatalities were identified as Lea Balante, 7, and Aljun Lao, 6. They died while being rushed to the Mati Provincial Hospital.

The identities of the six survivors were not immediately available.

Carmelito Lupo, regional chief of the Office of Civil Defense, said an investigation is underway to determine if the children were buried in a mound of soil or in a tunnel.

Lupo said the municipal disaster coordinating council and emergency reaction teams in the region promptly responded to the incident. — Edith Regalado, Christina Mendez