DEATH toll on the killer quake that rocked Western Visayas already climbed to 30 as rescue team discovered another landslide site yesterday where four bodies were retrieved.

This was disclosed by National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) Executive Director Undersecretary Benito Ramos.

He said the new landslide site was discovered Thursday morning in a remote village of Jimalalud town in Negros Oriental.

Ramos said four bodies were pulled out from the landslide site of  Jimalalud bringing the death count to 30 with 73 persons still missing.

Ramos admitted that chances of rescuing those victims of landslide are very slim but stressed that combined government agencies are doing their best to find life from the debris.

“Makapal at malaki yung bagsak na lupa makikita mo talagang  walang mabubuhay dito at kasalukuyan pa rin mayroon mga aftershocks -- tuloy tuloy pa rin ang mga afterschocks,” Ramos said.

Government troops backed by a team of search and rescue workers from Manila have resumed their search and rescue operations for the reported scores of missing persons from the quake.

Military cargo planes and sea vessels have already started ferrying relief goods and heavy equipments to the quake affected area, while total damage cost are still being assessed. 

The killer earthquake already destroyed P265 million worth of infrastructure particularly roads and bridges,  Ramos said.

Ramos said a total of 10 bridges in Negros Oriental located at La Libertad, Jimalalud and Guihulngan remain impassable due to collapsed span, damaged approaches, collapsed abutment, collapsed center span, twisting, mis-aligned spans and collapsed pier.

Affected families ballooned to 14,803 or  74,017 in 59 barangays, 8 municipalities, one city and one province in Region 7.

Of these figure, 5,372 families or 26,862 persons were staying inside and outside evacuation centers.    Zaida delos Reyes-Palanca