Pantukan:
A landslide tore through a small-scale gold mining site in the southern Philippines on Thursday, killing at least 25 people and burying dozens more.
The deaths came months after government officials warned miners that the mountain above them was guaranteed to crumble.
The mountainside in Napnapan village in Pantukan township collapsed around 3 a.m., on Thursday (1900 GMT on Wednesday) when most residents were asleep, sweeping away about 50 houses, shanties and other buildings, officials said.
Aside from those confirmed dead, more than 100 people were believed buried in the rubble, Compostela Valley provincial Governor said.
Scores of soldiers and volunteers were helping villagers dig for survivors and bodies, an army official said.
The bodies of two girls aged 6 and 14 were among those retrieved, he said.
At least 16 people were taken to a hospital, with six in critical condition, he said.
Lieutenant Colonel Lindon Paniza, a Philippine army official, said the number of casualties might increase.
"Based on what we saw, we are expecting a lot of casualties because it happened very early in the morning and there were a lot of shanties and small houses on the side of the landslide path."
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary said he had warned residents and local officials last year of a fissure on a ridge of the mountain that geologists said was "highly susceptible" to landslides that could occur anytime.
Pantukan town spokesman said heavy rains were hampering search and rescue work.
Houses not buried by the rubble were lying on their sides while crumpled tin roofs and trees lay nearby. One tunnel entrance appeared half covered by rocks and soil.
It was unclear how many mine shafts have been blocked by debris.
Thousands of poor Filipinos dig and pan for gold in the area, hoping to strike it rich despite the dangers of largely unregulated mining.
The tunnels are often unstable and landslides and accidents are common.
Compostela Valley province is on the main southern Philippine island of Mindanao, where flash floods triggered by a tropical storm killed more than 1,250 people in December.
The deaths came months after government officials warned miners that the mountain above them was guaranteed to crumble.
The mountainside in Napnapan village in Pantukan township collapsed around 3 a.m., on Thursday (1900 GMT on Wednesday) when most residents were asleep, sweeping away about 50 houses, shanties and other buildings, officials said.
Aside from those confirmed dead, more than 100 people were believed buried in the rubble, Compostela Valley provincial Governor said.
Scores of soldiers and volunteers were helping villagers dig for survivors and bodies, an army official said.
The bodies of two girls aged 6 and 14 were among those retrieved, he said.
At least 16 people were taken to a hospital, with six in critical condition, he said.
Lieutenant Colonel Lindon Paniza, a Philippine army official, said the number of casualties might increase.
"Based on what we saw, we are expecting a lot of casualties because it happened very early in the morning and there were a lot of shanties and small houses on the side of the landslide path."
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary said he had warned residents and local officials last year of a fissure on a ridge of the mountain that geologists said was "highly susceptible" to landslides that could occur anytime.
Pantukan town spokesman said heavy rains were hampering search and rescue work.
Houses not buried by the rubble were lying on their sides while crumpled tin roofs and trees lay nearby. One tunnel entrance appeared half covered by rocks and soil.
It was unclear how many mine shafts have been blocked by debris.
Thousands of poor Filipinos dig and pan for gold in the area, hoping to strike it rich despite the dangers of largely unregulated mining.
The tunnels are often unstable and landslides and accidents are common.
Compostela Valley province is on the main southern Philippine island of Mindanao, where flash floods triggered by a tropical storm killed more than 1,250 people in December.
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