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DAVAO ORIENTAL, Philippines – Responders at the landslide-devastated village of Masara in Maco town, Davao de Oro province, transitioned from rescue efforts to the retrieval of the deceased on Wednesday, February 14, as they gave up all hope of finding more survivors, the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) in the Davao region said.
“There is no more sign of life. So effective today (February 14), we will start search and retrieval operations. No more rescue operation,” Ednar Dayanghirang, OCD-Davao director, told Mati City-based broadcaster Sunrise Radio.
The number of bodies dug out at the February 6 landslide area has risen to 68 early this week, according to a Reuters report on Monday, February 12.
However, the last advisory of the Davao de Oro provincial government on February 12, showed that the death toll stood at 55 and 32 injured.
Many of the victims were workers of Apex Mining Corporation, but the company asserted that the landslide area was outside its mining site and that the place merely served as a terminal for vehicles dispatched for the use of its workers.
Environmentalists have called for a no-nonsense investigation into the February 6 disaster to determine the extent of Apex Mining’s accountability.
Of the dead, 17 have remained unidentified as of posting time, prompting the local government to advise relatives of those missing to check with mortuaries in nearby Montevista and Mawab towns where the cadavers were brought.
Dayanghirang said more canines from Davao City have been sent to the disaster area to be used in the ongoing search and retrieval operations. – Rappler.com
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