A "search and retrieval" operation is now being conducted in Brgy. Masara, Maco, Davao de Oro, a week after the landslide, according to Davao de Oro's Provincial Disaster and Risk Management Office (PDRRMO).
UPDATE: Mula sa search and rescue operations, inilipat na ang operasyon sa 'search and retrieval' sa landslide sa Brgy. Masara, Maco, Davao de Oro. | DZRH News
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) February 12, 2024
DOS POR DOS:https://t.co/de8RqaMkP9 pic.twitter.com/YISce86pTV
Interviewed during DZRH Dos Por Dos on Tuesday, February 13, Edward Macapili of the Public Information Office-PDRRMO said the soil covering the affected residential area was too thick, lessening the expectation that victims would still be alive.
"Kasi kinu-consider ang kapal ng lupa na tumambak. Ang bukid na nag-landslide, nasa 8 hectares na yun at pagdating sa ground, nasa 1.9 km [kilomters] yung covered niya," Macapili said.
"Yung kapal ng lupa na tumambak, may 50m [meters], 30m, 20m, 10m, at 8m na kapal. With that data na thickness of the land na tumambak sa ground, imposibleng may mabuhay pa," he added.
Macapili said the rescue should have been shifted to retrieval operations 48 hours after the incident, but rescuers gained hope after rescuing a child alive from the rubble.
"After 48 hours, magshi-shift na sana for retrieval. Pero the governor called up a meeting with mayors, asking for reconsideration kung pwedeng i-extend pa, hoping na may mga buhay pa," he stressed.
"The following day, may bata na nakuha. It gave hope to the rescuer and the governor na may buhay pa talaga. Naging indefinite ang search and rescue operation," he added.
The rescuers, according to Macapili, extended another 48 hours on Friday, February 9, hoping there would be people who could still be rescued.
"But then, kahapon, it has been decided that today mag-search and retrieval na lang talaga," he added.
Macapili said Davao de Oro has been experiencing rain since morning.
The deadly landslide that occurred on February 6 buried residential areas and two buses of a mining company.
The latest data showed that the death toll is now 55, while 32 were recorded injured. Authorities are still looking for the 63 missing individuals.
