Rescue ops shift to search and retrieval for bodies of 6 miners in Toledo landslide

Emergency responders have shifted to a search and retrieval operation for the bodies of 6 miners who went missing during a landslide at a mining pit in Toledo City, Cebu.

The landslide occurred on December 21 in Barangay Biga, leaving 4 individuals dead and the aforementioned 6 missing. On Christmas Day, the operations shifted from being a search and rescue effort to one of search and retrieval, given the likelihood that the miners had not survived.

In a phone interview with Toledo City Public Information Officer John Reseller Layan on Monday, December 28, the retrieval team was “closer” to finding the bodies after several “indications” of their locations.

“As per report nga ilang gihatag, naa ta’y latest development nga makaingon gyud ta nga hapit-hapit na gyud ta sa possibility na makit-an ang atong kaigsuonan nga nakalas,” he said.

(As per a report by the emergency responders, latest developments show that we are closer to the possibility of locating the casualties.)

He added that the responders have been following the stench of decomposing bodies.

Despite the rain, the retrieval team, now joined by the Philippine Coast Guard, continued their operations on Monday. The team has now employed the use of sonar technology and canine units to locate the bodies.

In a statement released Sunday, Carmen Copper Corporation, the owner of the mining pit, reported that financial assistance had already been given to the families of the 6 miners. The local government unit of Toledo City, according to Layan, is also coordinating with the Department of Social Welfare and Development for the distribution of aid to the affected families.

The Mining and Geosciences Bureau is now conducting an investigation into the incident. All operations in the mining pit have since been suspended.

About 400 families or at least 2,000 individuals who reside near the landslide area have also been relocated to Sitio Hag-it in Toledo. – Rappler.com