On Friday February 17th, 2006, a cascade of mud and boulders from Mount Kan-abag destroyed the remote village of Guinsaugon in the southern Leyte province of central Philippines.

Caused by two weeks of heavy rain, million of cubic tons of mud disintegrated in seconds the 375 homes and one elementary school of this small farming community located 400 miles East of the capital, Manilla. 250 to 300 children were in class when the mountain slope collapsed and enveloped the village.

Rescue teams from around the world have provided assistance in digging up the 30-plus feet of mud covering the site. The majority of the 1850 people comprising the village is missing and presumed dead. Only 20 survivors were rescued after 3 days of intense digging efforts. With the help of three local guides and two dogs, the school was located two days after the mudslide occurred buried under 90 feet of mud. Hopes of finding any child or teacher alive have disappeared.

Rubicon Team joins the international education community in expressing our sincere grieves to the families of the victims who perished in this tragedy.

The Hamilton Filipino Community Centre in Ontario, Canada has set up a relief fund to help victims of the disaster.