On 17 February 2006, at 10 a.m. local time (02:00 GMT) a landslide hit the village of Guinsaugon (estimated population 1,400) near the town of St. Bernard in Southern Leyte Province. The village was hit by a second landslide at approximately 10 p.m. local time (22:00 GMT) the same day. The second landslide resulted in the evacuation of eleven surrounding villages as a preventive measure. The Philippine Geosciences Bureau estimates that the landslide is 4 metres deep and covers an area of approximately 3 square kilometres.
As of 8:00 a.m. local time today, the National Disaster Coordinating Council
(NDCC) reports 81 fatalities, 20 injured and 415 survivors. 1,350 people are still missing, including 253 staff and students of the local school. Recent media reports have indicated that the number of missing may be even lower due to residents being away from the area at the time of the landslide but this has yet to be confirmed with the Government.
A no fly zone has been declared around Guinsaugon due to concerns that helicopter downwash could trigger additional landslides. This has further complicated access to the site. The landslides have also blocked tributaries of a major river which could cause flooding in nearby areas. Pre-emptive evacuations took place today in three municipalities of Southern Keyte - Sogod, Liluan and San Francisco - where geo-hazard assessments indicated that there were high levels of risk of additional landslides. 30 bodies have been buried to prevent the spread of disease.
DMGF immediately offered the use of its Rapid Response Team to the government of the Philippines. Given that enough local resources are available, DMGF has facilitated the delivery of an aid shipment of emergency medications. Three million tablets of various antibiotics are being donated to the help emergency workers in the Philippines treat patients. The medications have been sourced from Universal Healthcare Trust, a Canadian Trust that provides medication and nutritional supplements to developing countries. The antibiotics will help affected displaced civilians in the region.
We are grateful to DMGF and UHT for their support.? stated A. Mosquera, the Consul General of the Philippines.
DMGF has also offered to dispatch a scaled down version of its RRT and focus on providing refugees with clean water. DMGF is willing to donate water purification units and train local rescuers in their use.
