Philippines landslide death toll rises to 15, 110 missing

Manila, Feb 9 (IANS) The death toll in a massive landslide that crashed into villages in Davao de Oro province in the southern Philippines has climbed to 15, with 110 remaining missing, authorities said Friday.

In a statement, the Maco municipal government said 31 have been rescued from the landslide, which occurred Tuesday night near a mining site in Maco town that buried several houses and two buses that ferry miners from the site, Xinhua news agency reported.

The latest report said that at least 110 people remain missing, adding that the town's disaster prevention office is validating all the figures related to the landslide.

The report also mentioned the rescue of a child but did not provide details.

The Philippine Red Cross reported on Friday that a three-year-old girl and a two-month-old boy were pulled alive from the mud more than two days after the deadly landslide.

The search and retrieval operations continued to find the missing villagers buried under the tons of mud, rocks, and trees that rolled down from a mountainside.

Local authorities said the rain-induced landslide has displaced at least 1,166 families who are temporarily staying in government evacuation centers.