Over 1,300 residents affected by the May 11 landslide in the Surigao del Norte towns of Mainit and Tubod received interventions from the government on Sunday.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Caraga Region (DSWD-13) said around 266 affected families in Barangay Siana, Mainit, were provided immediate assistance, such as food and other needs, during the daylong activity.
“Each of the affected residents who sought refuge in the town’s evacuation center received three family food packs, a sleeping kit, a hygiene kit, and a kitchen kit,” the DSWD-13 said in a report Monday.
At least 25 houses were destroyed, but no fatalities were recorded during the incident.
The landslide occurred after the Tailings Storage Facility 3 embankment of Greenstone Mining Corporation failed and collapsed.
In a statement issued following the incident, the mining firm said the sudden failure of their facility was caused by a series of earthquakes that hit the area that day, with the strongest at magnitude 4.0 in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur.
Personnel from the Surigao del Norte provincial government rushed to the area after the incident for evacuation operations and provision of initial food assistance to the victims.
Investigation by authorities is still ongoing concerning the failure of the said facility. The Office of Civil Defense and the provincial government are leading the damage assessment in the area. (PNA)
