Search goes on for the missing

Beneath the weight of grief and flood-soaked debris, the Cebu City Disaster Team continues its search for those still missing after Typhoon Tino’s wrath.

- 

As of yesterday, the death toll in Cebu City remains at 33, with six individuals still unaccounted for --including the mother of a Red Cross volunteer who was assigned to Consolacion during the typhoon response.

City Councilor Dave Tumulak clarified that the previously-reported increase in fatalities was due to a duplicate entry.

He also confirmed that one of the seven individuals previously listed as missing has been found alive. The woman, who works at a government office, was reported missing by her employer after failing to make contact during the height of the typhoon.

Tumulak said she evacuated to Barangay Lusaran but was unable to call her employer due to lack of mobile signal. Her case has since been cleared from the missing persons list.

“Number 7 missing is alive. Iya employeer mi-report as missing, she’s employed sa government office. Naka-evacuate ra sila sa Lusaran. Because of wa’y signal sa phone wala siya katawag sa iya employeer,” he said.

Tumulak, chairman of the City’s Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, emphasized that search and retrieval operations remain active.

“Ongoing ato search and retrieval today hangtod makit-an ang missing,” Tumulak said.