Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CCDRRMO) head Nagiel Bañacia posted on his Facebook account that the ground zero in Barangay Tinaan, City of Naga, southern Cebu, is beginning to stink.
Bañacia said rescuers now need N-95 face masks.
On the other hand, Baltazar Tribunalo Jr., head of Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), said in a media briefing on Friday morning (September 21) that they could no longer find any signs of life at the landslide-affected areas.
Tribunalo, however, assured that they have not given up on their search and rescue operations. As of 2 p.m. on Friday, at least 26 bodies were recovered.
Naga City Mayor Kristine Chiong said that 57 homes in Barangay Tinaan were covered in soil while 300 other homes were indirectly affected.
A total of 785 families consisting of 2, 481 individuals have been evacuated to seven evacuation centers.
Chiong said she has asked the City Council to place the city under a state of calamity.