Philippines: Mining landslide kills 25, dozens missing (VIDEO)
A soldier helps a woman holding the dead body of her child killed during the passage of Tropical Storm Washi at a village in Iligan City, on the Philippines island of Mindanao. More than 650 people were killed, and 800 more are still missing, after the storm triggered widespread flash floods in the southern Philippines.
Rescue workers are searching a remote gold mining site on Mindanao island in the southern Philippines, where a landslide has killed at least 25 people and left more than 100 missing.
The landslide at a village in Pantukan town, in Compostela Valley province, is the second incident in almost nine months, Reuters reported. The landslide site is near the Kingking area, known for its untapped copper-gold and gold deposits.
Just last month, more than 1,200 people died in flash flooding on Mindanao, caused by Typhoon Washi.
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According to Reuters, government officials said there had been cracks in the mountains around Pantukan, and recent continuous rain could have loosened the soil.
Small-scale miners in the area had been told to leave, but refused, according to the Philippine Star. Mining activities in the area are largely unregulated.
The landslide took place at about 3 am, and miners reported waking up to rocks and debris falling on the roofs of their huts. According to reports, 16 people were pulled out from the rubble and rushed to hospital for treatment.
“A military unit is in the area but they are basically digging with their hands,” civil defense chief Benito Ramos told Agence France-Presse.
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