I should have put this up the moment the news came over the radio, but with one thing after another it got pushed to the back of my mind, since it doesn't affect me directly. Which is horrible, but goes to show what the fast-pace of modern life can do to a person.

On Friday, a landslide descended on the farming village of Guinsaugon, south of the island of Leyte (which is 675 kilometres southest of Manila, Philippines). The village was "swallowed whole by a wall of mud and boulders". Out of a community of approximately 2,000 people, only 57 have been recovered alive, and none since Saturday. Though people have been combing the buried village since then, it is feared that most of the other villagers are already dead somewhere in the 30 metres of mud. Unfortunately different news sites offer different numbers, so I cannot be entirely sure of the validity of these figures.

"The search focused on an elementary school amid unconfirmed reports relatives of the 250 children and teachers had received mobile phone text messages from survivors."

How terrifying would it be to receive such a message from your missing child?

Please take the time to send up a little prayer for the deceased, the injured and the missing.

They may be strangers hundreds of miles away, but this is no man-made catastrophe, but a natural disaster, which can befall anyone in the world. Those are my fellow countrymen there, and that is my lovely, turbulent and highly unpredictable country; to put things further into perspective, my mummy comes from the neighbouring island.

News Reports
Mudslide traps kids in school - CNN, the USA
US military sends survey team to Philippine Landslide Site - People's Daily Online, China
Philippine landslide death toll hits 1,800 - The Star, Toronto

My heartfelt gratitude to sweet Silivren, who e-mailed me as soon as she heard :-) I feel so privileged to have you as a friend, dear.