COMPOSTELA VALLEY, Philippines (PNA) – The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Davao and members of the Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (BDRRMC) in Barangay Kingking,

Pantukan, this province are now closely monitoring the behavior of the ground in four sitios after a landslide occurred in the area leaving five persons injured 12:00 noon last Friday.

Liza Mazo, OCD regional director, said the landslide was preceded by three straight days of continuous rain, consequently softening the ground.

She identified the victims as Cosin Batanga 40, Melvin Noah 26, Sajed Baranga 32, Jeremy Masangid and Elmer Sandungan.

“They were covered with mud due to the landslide, prompting rescuers to bring them to the Davao Regional Hospital,” Mazo said.

She said the victims are now out of danger.

Mazo urged residents in gold-rush sites to be conscious of their safety especially during the occurrence of heavy rains.

She also called on the barangay disaster responders to immediately launch a rescue operation once a disaster occurs.