Two children were killed when a landslide destroyed their home in Barangay San Isidro in Rizal Province, to the northeast of Manila on Luzon Island, at about 3.30 am local time on Wednesday 23 July 2014. The children, understood to be boys aged three years and six months, were reportedly still breathing when dug out by neighbours, but were pronounced dead upon their arrival at Casimiro Ynares Sr. Memorial Hospital. The boys mother, Mary Jane Amor, was also injured in the incident.
The approximate location of the 23 July 2014 San Isidro landslide. Google Maps.
The incident comes following heavy rains associated with the local rainy season, which lasts from May to October, with 191.3 mm average rainfall in the month of July. 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.
The Amors were reportedly one of ten families that had built homes at the bottom of a steep slope judged to be unsafe by local authorities, and that had repeatedly failed to move despite orders to do so. The families will apparently be forcibly evicted by the authorities, though there is no information on alternative living sites that will be (or have been) made available.
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