After almost three days, a girl was dug up alive during the search, rescue, and retrieval operations from the landslide site in Barangay Masara, Maco, Davao de Oro on Friday.
The child was immediately brought to a hospital and has been declared out of danger.
Meanwhile, the death toll from the Masara landslide as of noon on Friday, February 9, 2024, has risen to 15.
The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) of Maco reported that a total of 15 dead bodies have been recovered; 31 others were injured and 110 were reported missing as of noon of Friday, February 9, 2024.
The operation for the search of other victims is still ongoing.
The landslide happened on Tuesday night, engulfing houses and two buses carrying the employees of Apex Mining.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Apex Mining Co. Inc. said that the landslide happened outside its mine site, the area where the buses that ferry the employees of the company wait for its passengers.
“Just before the landslide, there were four 60-seater buses and one 36 pax-capacity jeep waiting for the outgoing employees. One bus had left for Mawab while the rest were still waiting when the landslide occurred, its debris covering the terminal,” it said.
The mining company said it is focused on fully supporting the rescue operations of the local government units by providing equipment, manpower and food supplies to affected residents, including its employees.
