No fewer than seven people were killed as a landslide rocked a house in the southern Philippines on Thursday.
According to AFP, this was made known by the Monkayo municipal disaster officer, Rocris Idul, on Friday, adding that the death toll is expected to rise.
The incident happened in the morning in a mountainous gold mining region of Davao de Oro province on Mindanao island, where heavy rain has triggered flooding and landslides this week.
It was learnt that a family of eight, including six children, had left their evacuation centre and returned home for a prayer meeting with other villagers, Idul told AFP.
Rescuers retrieved seven bodies from the mud, including those of the children. Another four people were still missing, Idul said.
“There’s a very slim chance they can survive,” Idul said, noting the huge volume of mud that buried the house.
Three people were pulled out alive, including one who was severely injured, Idul said.
Monkayo Mayor Manuel Zamora had issued a warning on Wednesday for people living in “high risk” areas of the municipality to leave their homes, his chief of staff, Rodielyn Manugas, told AFP.
Schools in the municipality were ordered to suspend classes on Friday, with more heavy rain expected in the region.
