2006/02/19_Landslide disaster in the Philippines
A disastrous landslide occurred in natural disaster prone country, the Philippines. After heavy rains over 500mm hit the area within 10 days, a huge mountain area became a deadly landslide with a mudflow in Leyte Island of the central Philippines. The Guinsaugon village with about 1800 residents, near St. Bernard city, completely buried within a very short time, leaving only few dozens of survivors. When the soft soil layer soaked with rainwater, it slipped over the hard bedrock, creating the deadly muddy soil movement. Experts are partly blaming the deforestation in mountain slopes as one of the reasons apart from the heavy rains. Some argued, excessive amount of rainfall, weak soil structure, and possibly the minor earthquake occurred just before the landslide as the gain. Final toll of the disaster reported as 130 dead and over 900 missing including 240 pupils and teachers of a primary school. After studying all geographical aspects of this disaster, authorities must act to identify landslide vulnerable regions of the Philippines, as heavy rains are causing similar disasters frequently.