'Safer' higher ground becomes fatal site in Leyte landslide

Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Residents mourn next to the body bag containing the dead body of a relative, a victim of a landslide that slammed the village of Pilar in Abuyog town, Leyte province on April 13, 2022, days after heavy rains inundated the town brought about by Tropical Storm Megi. Stringer/AFP" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/afp/04/13/20220413-leyte.jpg"/><figcaption>Residents mourn next to the body bag containing the dead body of a relative, a victim of a landslide that slammed the village of Pilar in Abuyog town, Leyte province on April 13, 2022, days after heavy rains inundated the town brought about by Tropical Storm Megi. Stringer/AFP</figcaption></figure></div>ABUYOG, Leyte - Fearing heavy rain dumped by tropical storm Megi would trigger flooding, residents of a Philippine fishing village hiked to higher ground and pitched tents. They never imagined the mountain they were on would collapse.Fisherman Fernando Rosquetes instructed his family to trek up the mountain behind their village, Pilar, which is by the sea in Abuyog, Leyte province. &quot;I told them, &#x27;stay there, you&#x27;re safer there&#x27;,&quot; Rosquetes told AFP.But on Tuesday the rain-sodden mountain crumbled, sending a wall of mud and earth smashing into Pilar and sweeping houses into the sea. Most of the settlement was buried. Rosquetes was faced Wednesday with the unbearable task of identifying the battered bodies of his family in front of a crowd of onlookers. Body bags containing two of his children, a grandchild and a daughter-in-law were laid out on dark sand along with 22 others. &quot;Now all of them are gone,&quot; the 47-year-old said, sobbing. &quot;I just want to be buried in another landslide.&quot;At least 26 people were killed and around 150 were missing in Pilar, one of several villages in the disaster-prone region flattened by landslides brought by Megi, locally known as Agaton.Eighty people have died nationwide, but the death toll is expected to climb as rescue efforts have switched to a retrieval operation.In nearby Abuyog, where survivors and the dead were transported by boat, rescue workers lined the covered bodies out on the ground, as residents encircled them, waiting to see if they could find missing relatives. Some doubled over crying after opening a black bag revealed a familiar face, while others snapped pictures with their phones. Edgar Suganob, who has relatives in Pilar, said many families had retreated to higher ground Tuesday morning -- hours before the landslide hit. &quot;They were afraid the mountain would crash on them,&quot; he said.Joshua Binondo, 21, stayed behind with his father to protect their home while his mother and four siblings walked up the slope and out of reach of floodwaters. Then it gave way.&quot;I heard a loud explosion and we ran for our lives,&quot; Binondo said, referring to the sound of the earth hurtling towards the village.&quot;The soil was about to catch up with me and then I don&#x27;t recall anything else.&quot;His father, mother and three siblings died in the disaster. His grandfather is also missing. A 17-year-old sister miraculously survived. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/04/13/22/ngcp-begins-restoration-work-in-agaton-hit-areas">NGCP begins restoration work in areas damaged by Agaton</a></li></ul>Outrigger boats were deployed to rescue survivors in Pilar after roads leading to the community of 400 people were blocked by rain-induced landslides.But officials said there is little hope of finding anyone else alive. <div>RELATED VIDEO</div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1998454" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Fisherman Fernando Rosquetes instructed his family to trek up the mountain behind their village, Pilar, which is by the sea in Abuyog, Leyte province. 

'Safer' higher ground becomes fatal site in Leyte landslide | ABS-CBN

Entertainment

News

Metro.Style

Sports

More

News

'Safer' higher ground becomes fatal site in Leyte landslide

'Safer' higher ground becomes fatal site in Leyte landslide

Agence France-Presse

Published Apr 13, 2022 10:17 PM PHT

Read More:

Pilar

Abuyog

Leyte

Agaton

Typhoon Megi

landslide

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2024 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Advertise with Us

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

© 2024 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.