Thousands of soldiers in the quake-hit Philippines are scouring villages buried under landslides, but authorities say hopes of finding dozens of missing people alive are dim.
Three days after a 6.7 magnitude quake flattened homes, destroyed bridges and triggered deadly landslides in the central island of Negros, rescuers had yet to find anyone alive among at least 92 people reported missing.
“Rescue teams have so far not seen or heard any signs of life underneath,” Ernesto Reyes, mayor of the city of Guihulngan on Negros island where 29 people were believed buried by a landslide, told AFP yesterday.
At least 48 people were confirmed to have died in Negros, with another 92 missing, regional military commander Colonel Francisco Patrimonio said.
In Manila, the national government’s disaster office said the death toll was 22, with 71 missing, but acknowledged it had not yet been able to verify reports from authorities in Negros.
