2 dead in Dinagat Islands landslides

BUTUAN CITY, Philippines – Landslides triggered by heavy rains left two men dead in a village and the mining site of Wellex Mining Corp. in Dinagat Islands on Christmas Eve and yesterday, according to reports.

The Philippine Information Agency’s Caraga office, quoting a report from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said the first landslide struck Purok 4, Barangay Navarro in Basilisa town Tuesday night, leaving a resident, a certain Edgar Gallardo, 47, dead and forcing other villagers to evacuate.

Another landslide occurred yesterday morning at the Wellex mining site in Tubajon town, killing a security guard of the firm.

Reports said disaster response teams were still retrieving other possible victims in the Basilisa landslide.

In Tubajon town, a rescue team led by Mayor Romeo Vargas was reportedly on their way to the landslide site to assess the situation.

Dinagat Islands was once part of Surigao del Norte until it became a separate province. It can be reached by a two-hour boat ride from Surigao City.