Death toll hits 116 in RP dump avalanche

Death toll hits 116 in RP dump avalanche

MANILA (AFP): The death toll from a garbage avalanche that wiped out an entire community of scavenger families near Manila climbed to 116 Wednesday, as fears grew about the risk of disease.

Remaining residents, and rescue workers sifting through the putrid mountain of trash for more bodies, were warned of the mounting health risk caused by decaying corpses buried in the garbage.

"It is a potential hazard because from opening body bags for identification alone, the stench is very bad," Kit Villaranda, a Philippine National Red Cross official at the site, told AFP.

"It is not good for the health, particularly with airborne bacteria."

She said vaccines and anti-toxins were being given to rescuers and residents as a preventive measure.

Grieving relatives of those buried under the rubbish joined the hundreds of rescuers to look for their loved ones, using picks, shovels and their bare hands.

Officials already gave up hope any survivors could be recovered three days after a mountain of rubbish at the Payatas dumpsite came crashing down on about 300 shanty dwellings housing people who eked out a living by scavenging.

The crash on the one-hectare dumpsite was triggered by torrential rains caused by twin typhoons last week.

"Rescuers have recovered a total of 116 bodies so far as of noon today and we are still expecting more to be extricated within the day," said Villaranda.

"Prospects have already dimmed we will get people alive," she said, even as she stressed rescue officials would continue with recovery efforts until it was certain no more bodies could be found.

Many of those recovered in the past two days were mangled and bloated beyond recognition. Body parts amongst the trash and dirt were also recovered and placed in individual plastic bags.

"There were body parts, other bodies were bloated and burnt. There was one body that was headless and we don't know whether they were torn by the trash slide or by backhoes that combed the area," Villaranda said. "Many relatives could not identify their dead."

Fifty-eight people were rescued and given proper treatment, while at least 15 others were recuperating in various hospitals.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council said local authorities "could not determine the number of persons buried because of the absence of a census" but residents earlier reported that at least 150 others were missing.

"It is getting grim with more than a hundred dead bodies already retrieved," Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado said. "It is indeed already in a state where we are in a recovery mode."

About 500 soldiers, health and social workers as well as Red Cross staff and volunteer were helping with the search, which has been continually hampered by rainshowers that have softened the loose foundation of dirt and trash.

New fissures were monitored in other areas of the dump site that could lead to a cave in, forcing officials to evacuate hundreds of residents to safer areas.

Social workers from the Red Cross as well as the health department were providing "psychosocial care" to survivors and relatives, many of whom were in deep shock and in a state of denial, officials said.

"You can't figure out the expression on their faces. Most of the relatives kept digging with their bare hands, showing frustrated rescuers where their houses were," Villaranda said.

The tragedy, the worst in recent Philippine history, forced officials to ask Congress for a review the country's waste management law, which had for years allowed open dump sites to absorb the capital's estimated 10,000 tons of trash daily.