Emergency responders work to rescue two people trapped after a riprap collapsed on a house. | Contributed photo via Paul Lauro
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A 49-year-old wife died while her 50-year-old husband was injured after a riprap of a subdivision collapsed with debris landing on their house at past 6 p.m. on Sunday, December 1, on Sitio Calma, Barangay Tisa, Cebu City.
This happened after heavy rains at that time in Cebu City.
Emergency responders worked to free the couple from where they were trapped from the debris and managed to free both of them at past 2 a.m. today, December 2.
Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera told CDN Digital that the patient was retrieved at 2:35 a.m. and was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by the emergency medical responders.
They were then rushed to the hospital for treatment.
Garganera said that the patient died in the hospital at 3:20 a.m.
According to the 28-year-old son of the victims, in an interview with radio station dySS that they had complained about the riprap to the management subdivision for quite a time now.
He said that they complained about the riprap because they saw that it was dangerous and that the work was done hastily, but no action was done on their complaint.
He said that his father was retrieved at past 12:30 a.m. of December 2 while his mother took longer because he was buried deeper by the debris and soil.
He said his father was rescued and survived but he had a broken leg due to the accident.
He also said that the emergency responders arrived quickly and he thanked them for that.
The son also said that they would file a case against the management of the subdivision because they had already complained about the danger that the riprap posed on them but no action was allegedly taken by the subdivision management.
The emergency responders, who retrieved the victims from where they were trapped, were personnel from the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CCDRRMO) and Barangay Tisa Fire team.
With the collapse, the emergency responders also evacuated families of 4 houses living near the area of the collapsed riprap.
Early morning today, at past 2 a.m., a landslide also occurred at the side of a hill in Barangay Sapangdaku, a mountain barangay of Cebu City, which brought a house down.
The house landed at the foot of the hill at the side of the road.
According to a report, fortunately, the owner was not hurt when her house fell.