DAVAO CITY — The death toll from the landslide that occurred in Barangay Masara, Maco, Davao de Oro climbed to 55, as of 7:00 a.m. today, according to the municipal government of the said town.

In a statement, it added that 32 persons were injured during the 6 February landslide.

“The management of the dead and the missing cluster is still validating on the number of missing persons,” it said.

Meanwhile, to fast-track the search-and-rescue (SAR) operation in the landslide-stricken area, the Philippine Army sent its personnel trained for SAR along with its special equipment to augment the 1001st Infantry Brigade.

At the height of the SAR operations, additional K9 units with two rescue dogs arrived at the Incident Command Post (ICP) in Barangay Elizalde, Maco, Davao de Oro.

Furthermore, personnel from the 525th Engineer Combat Battalion also flew in from Metro Manila and brought with them thermal scanners that could detect body heat 30 feet underground.

Apart from that, snake eye cameras that could look into tight spaces, listening devices, and other special equipment were also being utilized by the said team.