At least four dead in mining pit landslide in Cebu
At least four people died while six were missing in a landslide at a mining site in Cebu on Monday afternoon, the Carmen Copper Corp. (CCC) said Tuesday.
The identities were not given by CCC, which is an operating mine of the Atlas Consolidated Mining Corp. CCC said it continues to search for the six missing persons.
In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange earlier Tuesday, Atlas said: ''The incident was traceable to the incessant rains for the past several months and aggravated by Typhoon Vicky which hit parts of the Visayas, including Toledo City last Friday, December 18, 2020.''
The landslide happened around 4: 15 pm on Monday.
"As of this time we are in close coordination and communication with the affected immediate families and will continue to extend the needed support and assistance. We humbly ask the general public to exercise caution and responsibility in distributing information out of respect to the affected families," the CCC statement said.
"We would like to extend our utmost gratitude to private groups and the Toledo City Government Emergency Response team for extending valuable assistance in our search and rescue operations," it added.
All activities in the mining operations area were suspended, CCC said.
"We are also in close coordination and communication with concerned government agencies as we continue to conduct all necessary actions to assess and address the situation," the statement noted.
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commandant Admiral George Ursabia Jr has deployed K9 teams to augment search and rescue (SAR) operations in Toledo City.
Commodore Nelson Torre, commander of the Coast Guard K9 Force, initially dispatched one K9 team that specializes in SAR operations, composed of four personnel and two working dogs, to assist the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO).
Upon coordination by the Coast Guard Station Cebu, additional K9 teams from the Coast Guard District Eastern Visayas are expected to arrive in Toledo City Tuesday. Robina Asido/DMS
