Nearly 100 still missing after Vinta onslaught

MANILA - The governor of Lanao del Norte on Sunday blamed quarries for landslides that killed some 42 people in her province during the onslaught of Typhoon Vinta.

Mud and boulders from deforested mountains surrounding the southern province crashed down the towns of Tubod, Salvador and Munai on Saturday after Vinta hit the area as a tropical storm, destroying some 200 houses.

"I think it is the quarry na nakakasira [sa bundok] eh. Iyung mga quarry rito, pinagbibigyan ng DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources). Hindi ko maintindihan why they were able to operate," Lanao del Norte Governor Imelda Quibranza-Dimaporo told DZMM radio.

The governor said she has ordered local officials to check the permits of quarries, some of which are located in Salvador and Munai towns.

Dimaporo also called on the national government to send canine units to help in the search for at least 93 more missing residents.

For now, rescue workers would follow flocks of flies to track those who are feared dead and buried under the debris, she said.

Lanao del Norte has been placed under a state of calamity, which would allow local officials to tap calamity funds and impose a prize freeze on basic goods.

• Vinta intensifies into a typhoon