Philippine villages at risk of landslides forcibly evacuated
NAGA, Philippines — Philippine troops and police forcibly evacuated residents of five villages vulnerable to landslides after the collapse of a mountainside buried dozens of homes and killed at least 29 people in a central region.
Some residents left on their own, but most of the more than 1,200 people in villages near the landslide-hit area in Naga city were forcibly moved by authorities Thursday night, police Chief Superintendent Debold Sinas said Friday.
Four regional environmental officials, meanwhile, were suspended Friday for telling local officials last month that cracks found in the area of a limestone quarry at the mountain where the landslide occurred were not an imminent danger. Officials said the four would be investigated and could face criminal charges.
Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu also suspended quarry operations in the mountains around Naga city and several other provinces for 15 days to determine if they pose any danger. Survivors heard a thunderous roar, crashing and banging when the mountainside collapsed onto houses in two villages Thursday morning. Some who were trapped in the sludge managed to send text messages pleading for help, but the messages stopped within a few hours.