CALANOGAS, Lanao del Sur — Grief has engulfed the remote municipality of Calanogas after a massive landslide triggered by relentless rains brought by Super Typhoon “Inday” buried several homes before dawn on Friday, July 10, leaving five people dead, six others still missing, and two injured.
The tragedy struck at around 2:30 a.m. in Barangay Ngingir, where days of intense rainfall saturated the mountainside, causing a huge section of earth to collapse and engulf nearby residences while many families were asleep.
Authorities described the incident as one of the most devastating landslides to hit the municipality in recent years.
Families Torn Apart
The victims who lost their lives were identified as:
- Norhaya Camar
- Mohsin Juhary
- Naifa Mansawi
- Akmad Camar
- Norhana Ali
Their deaths have left grieving families and an entire community mourning lives cut short by one of nature’s deadliest disasters.
Meanwhile, rescuers continue searching for the six individuals who remain missing beneath tons of mud and debris:
- Mujahid Abdulmajid
- Mobairah Abdulrashid
- Norhasan Abdulrashid
- Lilikan Arab
- Norlin Ali
- Norhanima Ali
Two survivors, including one whose identity has yet to be confirmed, were rescued with injuries and immediately provided medical assistance.
For the families still waiting for news of their missing loved ones, every passing hour deepens both hope and heartbreak as rescue teams race against time.
Rescue Teams Trek 10 Kilometers to Reach Disaster Site
The rescue operation has been severely hampered by widespread landslides that rendered roads impassable.
According to the Calanogas Municipal Police Station (MPS), responders—including police officers, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), local government personnel, barangay officials, and volunteer rescuers—were forced to walk nearly 10 kilometers after vehicles could no longer pass through blocked roads leading to Barangay Ngingir.
The first responders reached the isolated community at approximately 6:00 a.m., hours after the landslide struck.
Search, rescue, and retrieval operations remain underway using both manual excavation and heavy equipment, carefully digging through unstable piles of mud, rocks, and debris in hopes of finding survivors or recovering those still trapped.
Roads Cut Off by Multiple Landslides
BARMM READi Head Muhammad Abutazil confirmed that the Malabang–Calanogas Road remains closed to all traffic after multiple landslides buried sections of the highway.
The blocked road has significantly delayed rescue efforts and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to affected communities.
Recognizing the urgency of the situation, BARMM Minister of the Interior and Local Government Jordan Bayam said his office immediately coordinated with the Ministry of Public Works and Highways (MPWH) to expedite the clearing of debris and reopen the vital transportation corridor, allowing additional rescue teams and relief supplies to reach the disaster area as quickly as possible.
BARMM Government Mobilizes Emergency Response
In response to the tragedy, BARMM Chief Minister Abdulraof “Sammy” Macacua ordered the immediate mobilization of relief assistance to municipalities affected by Super Typhoon “Inday.”
Macacua also personally visited evacuees staying in an evacuation center in Parang, Maguindanao del Sur, where he assured displaced families that the Bangsamoro Government would continue providing humanitarian assistance while rescue operations continue in Calanogas.
Authorities said relief goods, emergency shelter materials, food packs, and other essential aid are being prepared for families affected by the disaster.
A Community United in Grief
As heavy rains continue to threaten parts of Mindanao, the tragedy in Calanogas serves as another painful reminder of the destructive power of rain-induced landslides, especially in vulnerable mountainous communities.
For the families who have lost loved ones, no amount of relief can replace the lives taken by the disaster. The entire community now waits anxiously for rescuers to locate the six missing residents, hoping against the odds that more lives can still be saved.
The thoughts and prayers of many are with the bereaved families who now face unimaginable sorrow, as well as with the courageous rescuers risking their own safety in the difficult search through unstable terrain.
Authorities continue to urge residents living in landslide-prone areas to remain vigilant and immediately evacuate whenever signs of ground movement or continuous heavy rainfall are observed, as Super Typhoon “Inday” continues to enhance the southwest monsoon, bringing dangerous weather conditions across parts of Mindanao.