An eleven-year-old boy has died after being burried in a landslide in the Barangay San Jose area of Mandaue City on Cebu Island in the Philippines on Thursday 28 September 2017. Kyle Ashley Barcoso and his grandfather, Juanito Barcoso, 62, were both buried when a hillslope above their lightly-constructed house collapsed onto the structure at about 8.45 p m local time. Both were quickly dug out by neighbours, but the boy was unconscious and died later on the way to hospital. The older man was treated for injuries to his leg.
The approximate location of the 28 September 2017 Barangay San Hose landslide. Google Maps.
The incident is reported to have happened following heavy rainfall in
the area. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events,
as excess
pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments,
allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides
are caused by heavy rainfall. Cebu has a wet and dry tropical climate,
with a long rainy season that lasts from May to January.
In a related incident three people drowned in Cebu City on the morning of Friday 29 September, when a footbridge over the Guadalupe River collapsed. The river was in flood due to the high rainfall, and a little over a meter higher than its normal level. The dead in this incident have been named as brothers John Carlo Taran, 8, and Juros Taran, 9, and Arturo Cabradilla, 26.
Rescue workers recovering the body of a boy who drowned in the River Guadeloupe in Cebu City on 29 September 2017. Alan Tangcawan/Superbalita Cebu.
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