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Over 1,000 Dead Or Missing In Philippine Mudslides
Legaspi (AFP) Dec 04, 2006 The Red Cross sent out an urgent plea for water, food and medicine Monday as Philippine officials said more than 1,000 people were dead or missing after mudslides swallowed whole villages. The government's National Disaster Coordinating Centre (NDCC) in its evening report Monday confirmed 450 dead from the mudslides around Mayon volcano triggered by typhoon rains. It listed a further 599 people as missing in the rest of the Bicol region. Executive officer Glenn Rabonza said more than one million people had been affected by the disaster, with damage to property alone estimated at about 274 million pesos (5.53 million dollars). The deadly mudslides were triggered by torrential rains from super typhoon Durian, which mixed with volcanic ash on the slopes of the Mayon volcano. President Gloria Arroyo declared a "state of national calamity" and authorized the immediate release of a billion pesos (20 million US dollars) to rehabilitate affected areas. Local Red Cross official Benjamin Delfin told AFP: "We are receiving donations from international organizations at this point as we continue to estimate the cost of this disaster. "What we need now are medicines, food and items such as blankets, water and plastic sheeting for those who lost their homes." The NDCC said humanitarian aid was expected from Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and the United States, while cash was being sent from the United Nations and the governments of Canada and Australia. UNICEF is to send teams into the region to assess what is most needed, while Spain is sending medical teams. French President Jacques Chirac sent a letter to Arroyo expressing his sympathy at the loss of life from Durian. "In these painful circumstances, I wanted to convey to you, and to the Filipino people, the solidarity of France and my sincere condolences," he said in a handwritten letter. During the day, Philippine military aircraft ferried medicine, food, water, hygiene equipment and blankets from Manila. But the relief operation is painfully slow as rescue teams are still finding it difficult to reach remote villages. Electricity and communications has been restored to some areas but it could take weeks for services to be returned to normal. In the village of Maipon, men returned to dig out valuables from their homes. Like so many towns and villages around Mayon, it was reduced to rubble by a torrent of mud estimated to be 12 feet (3.72 meters) thick that crashed into the town, carrying with it boulders as big as cars. All that was left was the village's welcome arch over its main street. "There is nothing left here, there are no neighbors left," said Josefina Olander, 66, who saved some 50 people after she told them to clamber up the roof of her two-storey concrete home. "Those lucky to be alive are either injured or grieving." All 10 members of her family are alive, but the bottom half of the house is now underground. "Mayon gave us fertile land to till. It took it back in an instant," she added. Daniel Fernandez, spokesman for the Spanish canine team searching Maipon, said late Monday "the search for life here is over". "The dogs are only finding bodies," he said. Senator Richard Gordon, the National Red Cross president, said Sunday he expected the death toll could pass 1,000 as hopes faded of finding further survivors. "It is important we recover as much as we can ... but at some point we have to declare closure and declare a mass grave over the area," he said in radio interviews. Many villages still have not yet reported how many residents have died. In some cases, whole families have been buried, leaving no one to report any deaths. In various parts of the Bicol region communities have resorted to mass burials to deal with the scores of unclaimed bodies that were starting to decompose. The disaster comes after some 30,000 people were evacuated from the slopes of Mayon earlier this year amid signs the volcano was erupting. However the residents were allowed to return home in September after Mayon simmered down.
Source: Agence France-Presse Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links National Disaster Coordinating Centre A world of storm and tempest Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters When the Earth Quakes A world of storm and tempest
Philippines Rescuers Fear Mudslides Toll Could Pass 800
Legaspi (AFP) Dec 03, 2006Philippines rescuers Sunday said the death toll from giant mudslides could pass 800 as emergency workers broke through to remote villages devastated by the disaster. As emergency workers and residents continued to dig bodies from the mud, local Red Cross officials said they had confirmed 406 deaths and another 398 missing. |
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