LEGASPI, Philippines (2 Dec 2006) -- Rescuers have arrived in this devastated Philippines city as officials warned there would be few survivors from giant mudslides which swept away entire villages, killing hundreds. Military and civilian emergency workers delayed by typhoon Durian, which triggered the mudflows on Thursday, flew in at first light with the toll already at 469 dead or missing. As they made their way to the Mayon volcano, where rivers of mud and ash metres (yards) high obliterated communities, officials were pessimistic about finding people alive and appealed urgently for body bags and doctors. Cedric Daep, head of the provincial Disaster Control Council, said it would be more a case of digging bodies from the mud than rescuing survivors. "There are possibly dozens or hundreds (of bodies) to be recovered," Daep told reporters. He said floodwaters had risen so rapidly that many people simply did not have time to get out of their houses. "The death toll will rise," he warned. The rescuers were greeted by appalling scenes as they arrived on a Philippine Airforce C-130 transport plane at dawn. Many buildings in Legaspi, capital of the eastern Bicol region, were damaged or demolished while villages that had dotted the slopes of the scenic Mayon volcano had been reduced to just a few sticks protruding from the ground. Residents using shovels and makeshift equipment were digging out bodies and covering them with plastic. Grieving relatives wept as they tried to identify mangled corpses. The mudslides triggered by Durian's rains reached as high as rooftops when they poured down from Mount Mayon volcano, around 350 kilometers (217 miles) southeast of Manila. Daep said it was difficult to give an accurate death toll due to communication problems in the remote disaster area. The Red Cross revised down an earlier death toll of 388 to 134 dead and 159 missing, but was checking reports that another 200 people had been killed. | | A woman inspects her dismantled house after a Typhoon Durian hit the Saranggani town in Quezon province, south of Manila December 1, 2006. Typhoon Durian killed nearly 150 people after high winds and heavy rains triggered deadly mudslide burying three villagers at near the Mayon volcano in the central of Bicol region. (photo: Romeo Ranoco) Condolences began arriving from around the world, with Pope Benedict XVI saying he was "deeply saddened" by the deaths. Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Spanish government expressed their sympathy to President Gloria Arroyo over the human toll of the disaster. Commercial flights began operating into Legaspi while much of the region is still without power and communications. The disaster comes after an emergency in August, when 30,000 people were evacuated fearing Mayon would erupt before returning in September. The Philippines is also recovering from the impact of typhoon Cimaron, the strongest cyclone to hit the nation in more than 10 years, which left 38 dead or missing in late October. Typhoon Xangsane caused widespread damage and cut off electricity in many parts of Manila in September, leaving 200 people dead across the country. |
