2006 Southern Leyte mudslide
| Time | 10:30 UTC+08:00 |
|---|---|
| Date | February 17, 2006 |
| Location | Guinsaugon , Southern Leyte, Philippines
.svg)
 Southern Leyte provence
Southern Leyte provence (Philippines)
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| Coordinates | 10°20′00″N 125°05′50″E / 10.33333°N 125.09722°ECoordinates: 10°20′00″N 125°05′50″E / 10.33333°N 125.09722°E |
| 1,126 death toll | |
On February 17, 2006, a massive rock slide-debris avalanche occurred in the Philippine province of Southern Leyte, causing widespread damage and loss of life. The deadly landslide (or debris flow) followed a 10-day period of heavy rain and a minor earthquake (magnitude 2.6 on the Richter scale). The official death toll was 1,126.
At around 10:30 on February 17, 2006, a cliff face of a ridge straddling the Philippine Fault collapsed in a combination rockslide-debris mass movement event, translocating and subsequently burying Guinsaugon village in the township of Saint Bernard. Up to ten smaller landslides had occurred within the previous week in the vicinity of St. Bernard, but Guinsaugon was the worst-hit community.
Among the worst of the tragedies was the burial of the local elementary school, located nearest to the mountain ridge, as the landslide occurred when school was in session and full of children. Provincial Governor Rosette Lerias said at the time the school had 246 students and seven teachers; only a child and an adult were rescued immediately after the disaster transpired. About 80 women who participated in the celebration of the fifth anniversary of the Guinsaugon Women's Health Association were also lost in the landslide.
Lerias said that although several residents had left the area the week before due to the fear of landslides, several of them had returned when the rains had eased.
Rescue teams including military personnel proceeded to the affected areas. However, relief efforts were hampered by rain, chest-deep mud, roads blocked by boulders, washed-out bridges, and lack of heavy equipment. A minor earthquake in the morning of February 17 also affected the relief operation as the ground remained unstable.
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo gave an address on television stating that "help is on the way". Navy and coast guard ships were dispatched to the coastal area.
On February 17, Philippine National Red Cross chairman Richard J. Gordon who was then in Geneva attending a board meeting of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement appealed for international assistance. He raised US $1.5 million to help the victims of the mudslides. The funds were used to purchase tents, blankets, cooking utensils, mosquito nets, temporary shelter materials, hygiene articles, water purification tablets and medicines. US $152,000 was released to provide initial assistance. A relief plane was flown into the region carrying emergency trauma kits, rubber boots, ropes, clothing, flashlights and medicine. Three Philippines National Red Cross teams with search and rescue dogs were at the site to provide assistance, with others joining soon afterward. The Red Cross said that it feared that the death toll would be high.
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