Landslide kills 25 in Compostela Valley; dozens missing
By Inquirer Mindanao
January 6th, 2012

 PANTUKAN, Compostela Valley—It was another environmental nightmare that experts had warned of, yet nobody acted decisively.

Tons of mud from mountainsides crashed on shanties in a sleeping mining community in Barangay (village) Napnapan here before dawn yesterday, killing at least 25 people, including women and children, officials said.

Fifteen people were injured while dozens of others remained missing, according to municipal health officer Arnulfo Lantaya. At least three landslides reportedly occurred in Diat Uno and Diat Palo sub-villages.

Colonel Lyndon Paniza, 10th Infantry Division spokesperson, said “the worst-hit area was in the middle of the community, where there are many shanties.” He described the devastation as “enormous.”

An aerial survey conducted by the military showed a mud sweep 50 meters wide and 150 meters deep over Diat Uno and Diat Palo.

About 30 square meters of loosen earth from Diat Dos fell sharply by 200 meters over Diat Uno, where small miners were digging tunnels and built their homes, Paniza said.

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