SEARCH, rescue and retrieval operations will continue in Leyte, which was hit by a landslide during the onslaught of Tropical Depression Agaton, burying over a hundred of people alive, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Monday, April 18, 2022.In a Laging Handa public briefing, NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal said they are hoping to rescue more survivors from the landslide site in Abuyog town and Baybay City.“May areas po talaga na iyong ating mga eksperto po ay nag-aalala kapag ipinagpatuloy ng ating mga search and rescue teams iyong kanilang isinasagawa dahil gumuguho pa rin po ang lupa as of this point,” he said.(There are areas where experts are worrying about doing the search and rescue operations because the soil is still collapsing as of this point.)“Although kami dito po ay hindi pa rin bumibitiw sa pag-asa na marami pa ring mari-rescue, we leave it po doon sa ating mga kasamahan on the ground para mapagdesisyunan po nila ito kasi inaalala din natin ang kanila pong kaligtasan,” he added.(Although we are still hoping that we can still rescue more people, we leave it to the persons on the ground whether to continue the operations because we also think of their safety.)In its 8 a.m. Monday update, the NDRRMC said the reported number of fatalities from Agaton remained at 172, while the missing persons were still at 110.Of the fatalities and missing individuals, 156 and 104, respectively, were from Eastern Visayas, which includes the Leyte province.Timbal said local authorities accounted around 100 residents in Abuyog and 70 in Baybay City who are still missing.He said these information are all being validated.The NDRRMC also reported that over 43,000 families or 158,000 individuals are still staying in evacuation centers.Timbal assured, though, the continuous provision of relief items for the affected population.In its latest tally, the NDRRMC said the government has provided a total of P50,402,495.18 worth of food and non-food necessities to the affected families. (SunStar Philippines)