DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 25, 2011) – Philippine officials said a total of eight bodies had been recovered from a landslide that hit a mountain village in Compostela Valley province in the southern island of Mindanao.
Officials said the hope of finding any survivor is slim after the Friday tragedy that hit the mining community of Panganason in the town of Pantukan. “We cannot say at this point if there are still survivors,” Major Rosa Maria Cristina Manuel, an army spokesperson, told the Mindanao Examiner.
She said 13 people have been rescued since Friday and that official records show that 15 more are still missing after the landslide buried houses at the foot of the mountain where illegal gold miners are known to operate.
The military earlier said as many as 50 people were missing after mud and boulders buried at least 20 houses. Of the eight bodies retrieved, one is still unidentified, Manuel said.
She said heavy rains last week loosened boulders and mud in the village that triggered the landslide.
Meteorological experts have earlier warned of more rains in central and eastern part of Mindanao because of the cold front affecting the weather system in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)
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