2 dead in Cebu due to ‘Agaton’

TWO people, including a 63-yearold woman, were killed after Tropical Depression Agaton hits Malabuyoc town, Southern Cebu earlier today.

At 4 a.m. Tuesday, January 2, Flora Matas, 63, and her family just evacuated their house in Sitio North Suba, Barangay Looc when the former decided to return home to pick up some things.

Senior Police Officer 1 Marvin Ando, desk officer of the Malabuyoc Police Station, told Sunstar Cebu that Matas and her family decided to evacuate when heavy rains struck the town due to TD Agaton.

Matas was reportedly inside their house when a massive landslide struck and buried Matas house which is situated below a cliff.

Local police and emergency responders conducted a two-hour retrieval operations before they were able to recover Matas’ body at 6:40 a.m.

At the same time, Ritchie John Pimentel, 39, was pronounced dead on arrival after he slipped and fell on the ground hitting his head.

Pimentel, who is from Barangay Sto. Niño, in the same town, was sleeping when he was awakened by the heavy rains brought by TD Agaton.

He immediately went out of his house, but as he was exiting his front door, he suddenly fell head first into the ground.

Ando said heavy flooding brought by Agaton allegedly