Deadly landslide hits Philippines
  • 12 years ago
Rescue operations were underway on Thursday, after a landslide buried shanty houses in a mining area on a southern Philippine island.
The disaster has killed at least 25 people, injured at least 15 others, and left scores missing.
Just before dawn the landslide came crashing down, burying people under loosened soil and boulders.
A local spokesman said the victims were mainly miners and their families.
A disaster management official said the landslide was probably caused by heavy rains that saturated the soil and an earthquake that hit a nearby province hours earlier.
Last year the Philippines banned small-scale mining in the area due to safety hazards.
Travis Brecher, Reuters