The death toll from a landslip in the central Philippines has risen to 29, the police said on Friday, as rescuers frantically dug for survivors of the latest tragedy in the storm-hit nation. Dozens were still missing as authorities probed whether a nearby rock quarry could have played a role in the massive hillside collapse on Thursday that hit rural communities in Naga on the tourist island of Cebu. The rescue effort came as the nation was still reeling from Typhoon Mangkhut, whose toll hit 95 dead on Thursday, mostly from a massive landslip in the mountainous north. Rescuers on Cebu have pulled 29 corpses from the debris, the Philippine National Police said, as people living in homes spared from the landslip were evacuated. Hundreds of police, firemen, and specialists using heavy equipment were looking for about 50 people, provincial disaster office spokesman Julius Regner said. Authorities are not sure whether the limestone quarry contributed to the disaster, but they have ordered a 15-day halt to quarry operations around the country as a precaution.
Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-international/landslip-toll-rises-to-29-in-philippines/article25011435.ece
