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General Forum: Offbeat n Jokes | | Mud wipes out Philippines village | |
| As long as we kill the nature we’ll continue to hear these type disasters.
Every country should sign on Kyoto protocol
Posted by: Mr. The Fountainhead (A.K.A Fake ID) At: 17, Feb 2006 8:13:32 PM IST
Actually I have posted this under current affairs. But I do not know how this has been posted in this off beat and jokes.
Or may be I might have wrongly clicked this thread. Any how kindly treat this as current affair topic only and I appolise for this grave mistake.
- Sastri -
Posted by: Mr. VIRABHADRA SASTRI KALANADHABHATTA At: 17, Feb 2006 1:39:42 PM IST
:(
Posted by: UK At: 17, Feb 2006 1:37:57 PM IST
(Extract from BBC News dt.17th Feb.06)
An entire village has been buried by a major landslide in the central Philippines following heavy rains.
Only four people have been confirmed dead, but Red Cross officials estimated that 200 might be dead, and said a further 1,500 were missing.
The landslide hit Guinsaugon village in the town of St Bernard on the southern part of the island of Leyte.
Survivor Dario Libatan said: "It sounded like the mountain exploded, and the whole thing crumbled."
"I could not see any house standing anymore," he said.
Typhoon path
The landslide followed heavy rains that had fallen for about 10 days over this part of the Philippines.
The BBC's Sarah Toms in Manila says Leyte lies in the path of many typhoons each year, and is lashed time and time again by severe storms.
She says illegal logging has been blamed for leaving some areas denuded of forest and vulnerable to floods and landslides.
Civil defence officials said only four bodies had been recovered from the scene so far, but the death toll was likely to rise as the scene of the disaster had been difficult to reach.
Initial reports said there may have been 500 houses in the village, and that a school was among the buildings buried.
Military helicopters were sent to the scene to survey the damage and help with rescue efforts.
Idyll deceptive
Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, speaking in Geneva, said the Philippine air force was flying in a dog search team from Manila.
He said he also hoped that US forces, who were conducting exercises in the region, might be able to offer assistance.
"It's very difficult [to get there] right now because the town is covered in mud," he told BBC World television.
He said the idyllic appearance of the Leyte coast was deceptive.
"The forest is very lush, but something happens and the system collapses," he said.
It would be some time before the final death toll was known, he said.
"This could rise to tragic proportions. We're still hoping this is not the case.
"We have done this before. It's impossible to predict what nature will do."
Posted by: Mr. VIRABHADRA SASTRI KALANADHABHATTA At: 17, Feb 2006 1:32:10 PM IST
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