LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Two people were killed and another was injured after a landslide buried part of a restaurant kitchen in Barangay Shilan on Thursday amid heavy rains brought by successive tropical cyclones, authorities said.
Mayor Roderick Awingan confirmed the casualties, saying the injured victim was taken to Benguet General Hospital for treatment.
“There were two who died while another person was rushed to Benguet General Hospital for treatment,” Awingan said in a media interview at the site.
In a report, the Police Regional Office identified the fatalities as Jerry Binay-an Agbuya, 66, of Pico, La Trinidad and Lemar Gawidan Ciano, 31, of Shilan, both cooks.
The injured victim was identified as Dino Binay-an Agbuya, 55, also a cook and resident of Barangay Pico.
Awingan said continuous rains from Tropical Cyclones Luis and Maymay loosened the soil beside the establishment, triggering the landslide.
He said it was the first landslide incident recorded in the capital town.
He urged residents to remain vigilant as rain-soaked mountain slopes remain vulnerable to landslides.
“Let us abide by the advice of the authorities for our own safety, especially evacuation orders,” he said.
Police said a waitress at the establishment heard Ciano shout for help before a landslide struck the kitchen, burying the three workers.
Responders from the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Fire Protection and nearby residents immediately conducted rescue operations, recovering one survivor and two fatalities.
Meanwhile, Department of Social Welfare and Development-Cordillera Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Novelle Ongat said the agency released PHP10,000 in immediate assistance to each family of the deceased and PHP5,000 to the injured victim on Thursday.
Ongat said the agency will process additional death, burial and medical assistance for the victims’ families.
The La Trinidad Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office likewise extended assistance. **Liza Agoot
