According to someone familiar with the place, the site of the landslide is a sinking area and has been the site of landslides in the past. She added that there are not enough trees in the area to hold off the soil. Although the most recent landslide didn't take any human life because the residents were able to notice the shifting mass of soil, several farm lots and houses were damaged.
The landslide may have been directly caused by Typhoon Ineng which ravaged the Cordillera region for several days. The area has always been prone to landslides and this was aggravated by the continuous rain brought by Typhoon Ineng. The rains softened the soil causing it to eventually collapse.
In the video, a large mass of land can be seen shifting, sinking, and settling several meters below its original position. A man can be heard shouting and warning people to move away from the site. "Kumaan kayo sisa. Men-alis tako ad ngato. [Get out of there. Let's transfer to higher ground.]" the man was shouting. Police whistles can also be heard warning the people below to leave and move farther away from the landslide site.
Watch a video of the landslide below.
Landslide In Bakun, Benguet
This landslide occurred in Buagi, Poblacion, Bakun, Benguet on August 26, 2015. Fortunately, there were no human casualties.[As much as we would like to credit the original uploader of the video, we don't know which one because of the availability of several copies and mirrors of the video online.]
Posted by Igorots Online on Sunday, August 30, 2015
Site of the landslide in Poblacion, Bakun, Benguet. Photo courtesy of the Bakun Municipal Police Station. |