ZAMBOANGA, Philippines – Rescuers found the bodies of four people, including children, buried in two landslides after incessant rain from the southwest monsoon in Zamboanga City over the weekend.
The bodies were recovered on two separate occasions on Sunday and Monday, July 14 and 15.
Dr. Elmeir Apolinario, chief of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), identified the victims as 47-year-old Leonilo Moret and his 10-year-old son Justine from Sitio Papaya, Barangay Pumucutan, and 26-year-old Myca Ortega and her six-year-old son JM from Sitio Anuling, Barangay Pamucutan.
Apolinario said the house of Leonilo and his son was swept away by a mudslide into the river on Friday night, July 12, at the height of the heavy downpour spawned by the habagat (southwest monsoon).
The remains of Leonilo were found near the Philippine Coconut Authority-Zamboanga Research Center in San Ramon, Barangay Talisayan, while those of his son were found in Anuling River near the Prime Water dam in Barangay Pamucutan on Sunday morning, July 14.
Apolinario said the remains of Ortega and her son were recovered by members of the retrieval team on Monday, July 15.
Ortega’s house in Sitio Anuling, Barangay Pamucutan, was buried in mud and rocks, prompting the retrieval team to use a backhoe to extract the bodies while the CDRRMO water tanker was used to flush the mud-covered road.
Roseller, Myca’s husband, told RPN-Zamboanga on Monday, that the landslide occurred around 10 pm on Friday.
Roseller, who works by gathering and selling sand by the sack from the Anuling River, said he rushed home from work, and found their house buried in mud and rocks.
He said they had been living in Sitio Anuling, Barangay Pamucutan for years, and Friday’s landslide was the first.
The heavy rain also caused widespread flooding in 30 of the 98 villages of Zamboanga City, displacing some 4,000 families with over 15,000 individuals, destroying houses, and toppling light and cable posts, including two heritage trees.
Steps vs leptospirosis
The Zamboanga City Health Office fielded workers to evacuation centers to conduct medical consultations and distribute vitamins and prophylaxis to flood-hit residents to lower the risk of acquiring leptospirosis and other flood-related diseases.
City hall’s information office reported that 37 evacuation centers were set up, and 18 were still operational as of Monday. The rest have closed as evacuees have returned to their respective homes.
The local health office also advised residents exposed to flood waters to visit health centers and avail of prophylaxis to prevent leptospirosis. Early consultation is also advised for residents who develop fever after wading in floodwaters.
Leptospirosis is caused by the Leptospira spirochetes bacteria, which spread through rat urine. Modes of transmission include wading in contaminated floodwaters and ingesting contaminated food or water. – Rappler.com