By Froilan Gallardo
Special Correspondent
A LANDSLIDE early Sunday morning killed five children who were buried under tons of earth in Iligan City, police said.
Police Major Zandrex Pamolong, spokesperson of the Iligan City Police Office said the fatalities belonged to one family when their house in Purok 2, Tamparak, Barangay Mandulog in Iligan City.
Pamolong said the parents of the children identified as Shiela Mae Baroro, 26 years old, and construction worker Jessie Barulan, 29, survived after rescuers were able to dig them out from the mud.
He said the rescuers however did not reach the children in time. They were identified as CJ Barulan, 8 years old; Kent, 6 years old; Xian, 4 years old; Trishamae, 3 years old; and Shemabel, seven months old.
Pamolong said the children were declared dead on arrival at the Iligan Sanitarium Hospital and Gregorio T. Lluch Memorial Hospital where rescuers brought them.
Police Staff Sergeant Dionirel Cutanda said they found the semi-concrete house of Barulan located beside a hill buried under tons of earth when they arrived at the scene at around 6 am Sunday.
“We used everything we can find to dig into the mud but only the parents were able to survive. The children did not,” Cutanda said.
Cutanda said residents in the village reported that several days of rains have loosen the soil of the surrounding hills.
