MANILA — Two men were killed while another survived after a landslide buried an eatery in Shilan, La Trinidad, Benguet on Thursday morning.
According to the Benguet Police Provincial Office (PPO), the victims were cooks working inside the kitchen of a “bulaluhan” when a slope collapsed at around 8 a.m. following four straight days of continuous rain.
The incident was reported to authorities at around 9 a.m., prompting rescue teams and volunteers to conduct retrieval operations.
“One is alive, two is already dead on the spot. So at about 10:30, totally na-retrieve na ‘yung tatlo,” Benguet PPO provincial director PCol. Dionisio Bonoy said.
“‘Yung natabunan is bulaluhan ‘yun, kainan. So ‘yung mga naiwan doon is ‘yung mga cook, hindi siguro nakatakbo,” he added.
Authorities said the landslide occurred in an area that had not previously experienced a similar incident.
Bonoy explained that while the slope was not considered steep, the retaining wall could no longer withstand the weight of the soil after days of heavy rainfall.
“‘Parang may retaining wall siya pero hindi na kaya ng retaining wall ‘yung dami ng lupa na nag-slide. Diba ‘pag ang lupa naka-absorb ‘yan [ng tubig], pag napuno na, talagang mabigat na. At kung may height ‘yan, talagang itutulak,” Bonoy said.
“Hindi naman ganun kataasan ‘yun kaso lang may mga lupa sa taas pero medyo malayo. First time lang talaga nangyari sa area na ‘yun,” he added.
The lone survivor is undergoing treatment at a hospital.
Meanwhile, police have ordered residents living near the area to evacuate as a precaution against possible additional landslides while rains continue.
Tropical depression Maymay and the habagat are bringing heavy rains in vast swaths of the country on Thursday, state weather bureau PAGASA warned.
For more weather updates, visit the ABS-CBN Calamity Hub.