Massive landslide in Philippines kills 5, injures 31

Manila:

At least five people were killed and 31 injured when a rain-triggered landslide engulfed two buses and houses in a mountainous area of ​​the southern Philippines, an official said on Wednesday.

A landslide hit a mining village in Davao Oro province on Tuesday night, trapping at least 20 people inside two buses used to transport miners, provincial disaster official Edward Makapili told AFP.

Makapili said at least 28 people were on the bus when the landslide occurred, but eight managed to escape unscathed through the windows before the mud engulfed them.

The buses were parked outside a gold mine operated by Philippine company Apex Mining in the village of Masara, where the buses picked up workers.

Five bodies were recovered from the mud, but it was unclear whether they were on the bus, Makapili said.

Another 31 villagers were also injured. Makapili said two of them were seriously injured and were airlifted to a hospital in Davao City for treatment.

“There are no signs of landslides as the rain stopped on Thursday and it was already sunny and hot on Friday,” Makapili said.

Makapili said an earthquake hit the village shortly after the landslide. He said the search was stopped at midnight because it was too dangerous to continue, but resumed during the day.

“Rescue efforts were hampered by limited visibility and intermittent landslides,” Apex Mining said in a statement on its website.

It was unclear whether other miners were also affected by the landslide or if other villagers were missing.

Meanwhile, 285 families from Marsala and four nearby villages were forced to evacuate their homes, Makapili said.

Military personnel have been deployed to assist with rescue efforts.

“Roads remain impassable and there is no cell phone signal in the area,” the Eastern Mindanao Military Command said on Facebook on Wednesday.

Heavy rains have fallen on and off parts of Mindanao for weeks, forcing tens of thousands of people into emergency shelters.

At least 18 people died in landslides and flooding in the region last week, the national disaster relief agency said in its latest update.

Landslides occur frequently in much of the archipelago country due to mountainous terrain, heavy rainfall and widespread deforestation.

The Philippines is regularly battered by storms, which scientists warn are becoming more powerful as the world warms due to climate change.

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