The provincial governor told the BBC there was now no hope for more than 2,000 people believed buried in their homes after a mountain collapsed and covered the area in mud and rocks.
A further 600 people are also missing after rushing to help with the rescue effort and being caught in a second landslide.
My heart goes out to all the people caught up in nature's devastation.
On April 27, a tornado in the US wreaked havoc on Vilonia, Arkansas. But a mother, who lost her two sons when their home was demolished, said she hasn't lost her faith. Before the twister hit, her son Tyler told her he was ready for heaven.
From her hospital bed, she told her friend that her older son had been talking about heaven for quite some time. A few hours before the twister took his life, he turned to his mom and said he was ready to go to heaven.
“Will you miss me?” Tyler asked.
“Let’s not talk about that right now,” April replied quickly.
“How long will you miss me?” the boy asked, refusing to drop the subject.
“I guess until I see you again,” April said. Read more here.
This raises the question of children knowing things an adult has repressed and then forgotten about a spiritual life. Despite that, our bodies are formed and nurtured by the earth, warmed by the sun, quenched by the rain, fed from the soil, and breathing the air.
After each disaster of either fire, eruption, tidal wave, tsunami, cyclone or flood, we grieve over the human lives lost, the blameless people drowned or crushed without warning. When we go past the grieving and anger about scientists and policy makers not protecting the innocent, we find a more subtle emotion. How could Mother Nature betray us?
Tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions happen without the slightest consideration for animals or humans.
Unless ... we look toward a spiritual life. Why are we here?
Albert Einstein said, 'The important thing is not to stop questioning; curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when contemplating the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of the mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity'.