Manila [Philippines], February 8: A massive landslide triggered by heavy rains in the southern Philippines has killed six people, with over 40 still missing, a local disaster office said on Wednesday.
Thirty-one victims were injured in the landslide that happened on Tuesday evening near a gold-mining site in the town of Maco in Davao De Oro province, about 965 kilometres south of Manila. Two buses carrying workers from the mining site and an undetermined number of houses were buried in the landslide. It was not immediately known how many passengers were in the buses.
According to the provincial government, up to 46 people were still missing, based on the initial report by the municipal disaster risk reduction office.
Six bodies have so far been recovered, the provincial government said, adding that these details were still being validated. "The rescue and retrieval operations are still ongoing, together with other agencies of the government and the provincial rescue teams," the office said in a Facebook post.
Five villages in Maco were ordered evacuated following the landslide, and 758 residents were now staying in evacuation centres, the provincial government said.
Heavy rains caused by the north-east monsoon and a trough of low pressure have been battering the southern region of Mindanao since late January. Floods and landslides have left at least 16 dead and affected more than 812,000 people, including 398,158 forced to flee their homes since January 28, the national disaster agency said.
Source: Qatar Tribune
