1,800 Feared Dead After Philippine Landslide

A day after the landslide, only 35 bodies had been pulled from the reddish soil and 57 survivors found, Reuters quoted as saying Rosette Lerias, governor of Southern Leyte province.

Friday's disaster occurred as children and mothers celebrated women's day at the main school in the village of Guinsaugon, a farming village about 675 km ( 420miles) southeast of Manila.

Two groups of soldiers tried in vain to get into the school on Saturday.

"They had to withdraw. They couldn't enter," Lerias said. "We are continuing with our operations. We have not lost hope."

Officials confirmed in a statement that 206 pupils and 40 teachers are trapped inside an elementary school buried by the massive landslide, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

There has been confusion over the actual number of people who lived in the village. The 2000 census put the population at1 , 411while local officials have put the population at around3 ,000.

President Gloria Arroyo ordered the Coast Guard and naval units in the central Visayas region to the area, with naval vessels to be used as floating hospitals and command centers for relief and rescue.

Two C- 130aircraft carrying search and rescue teams and26 , 000pounds (11, 700kg) of medical supplies headed to the area early Saturday. Seven evacuation centers were set up.

International Aid

A major international aid effort has got under way shortly after the disaster.

The Red Cross appealed for two million Swiss francs (1. 28million euros, 1 . 52million dollars) to help to fund the aid operation.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which earlier announced it had released200 , 000Swiss francs from its emergency coffers, urged donors to come forward fast, AFP said.

The funds will be used to buy "cooking utensils, mosquito nets, temporary shelter materials, health and hygiene articles, water containers and purification tablets for survivors over the next six months," it said.

In Australia, the government aid agency, AusAID, pledged one million dollars (740, 000US) in immediate aid which it said would be made available to the Philippine National Red Cross and other relief agencies.

The funds would be used to carry out urgent tasks such as evacuating survivors, setting up shelters and trauma counseling, as well as meeting the more basic needs of food, clothing and related emergency items, it said.

The United States also offered condolences and said it has sent two military ships to help in the coordination of disaster relief and will provide resources to help fund the immediate response.

"We will continue to coordinate our response efforts with the government of the Philippines, and we'll look for ways to best support them in this hour of need," a US spokesman said.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs announced it was deploying a disaster assessment and coordination team to strengthen the UN office in Manila helping the Philippine government.

Pope Benedict XVI Friday expressed his "deep sadness" at the disaster in the mainly Roman Catholic country and called for "generous and rapid" aid for the survivors.

Japan also expressed its sympathy and announced it was "preparing for appropriate assistance."

Japan, Asia's biggest economy, puts a priority on close relations with Southeast Asia and was a major donor after the Indian Ocean tsunami in December2004 .

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