2 killed in Benguet landslide as storms displace nearly 7,000



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Two people were killed while another survived after a landslide buried part of a makeshift eatery in La Trinidad, Benguet, as Tropical Storms Luis and Maymay and the southwest monsoon (habagat) displaced nearly 7,000 people, authorities said Thursday.
Benguet police chief Col. Dionisio Bonoy said the landslide struck at around 8 a.m. at JML Bulalohan in Barangay Shilan, burying part of the establishment where the victims were working as cooks.
Jerry Agbuya, 66, survived the incident and was rushed to Benguet General Hospital. However, Dino Agbuya and Lemar Ciano, 31, died after being trapped under the mud and debris.
A waitress, Lea Gawiden Ciano, told investigators that the workers were inside the eatery when Dino Agbuya suddenly shouted for help moments before the landslide occurred.
"Dalawa yung dead on the spot. Yung isa lang ang buhay. Yung natabunan ay nasa bulaluhan. Yung mga cook ang hindi na nakatakbo," Bonoy said.
He added that the eatery was located near a mountainside where a retaining wall failed to hold back the rain-soaked soil.
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that 2,215 families, or 6,929 individuals, have been displaced by the combined effects of Luis, Maymay and the southwest monsoon.
The displaced residents are staying in 39 evacuation centers after flooding affected 83 areas across the Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, Zamboanga Peninsula and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said 80,633 individuals, or 23,946 families, have been affected across the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Bicol Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, BARMM and the Cordillera Administrative Region.
Aside from the Benguet landslide victims, the OCD said it has not recorded any additional deaths, injuries or missing persons related to the weather disturbances.
Authorities also reported 12 partially damaged houses and 83 flooded areas.
The government has so far distributed ₱1.38 million worth of assistance to affected residents.