A landslide caused by heavy rains buried shanty houses in a mining area on a southern Philippine island, killing at least 27 and leaving dozens of people missing, local disaster and security forces officials said on Friday. The landslide hit before dawn in Kingking village on the southern island of Mindanao, burying people under mud, rocks and rubble, said Liza Mazo, head of the regional disaster agency.
Six people were taken to hospital with minor injuries and rescuers were searching for others who may have been buried near an illegal small-scale mining area in the Compostela Valley. Shanty towns have mushroomed around Kingking after a gold rush in the area nearly 20 years ago. Many of the mining operations are illegal and unregulated, and there are frequent accidents.
Two years ago, a similar landslide in another part of the village killed more than 20 people, including some children. Residents had been ordered to relocate due to the instability of the land and higher risks of landslides. The government's mines bureau has listed copper-gold and gold mining operations in Kingking as one of its priority investment projects.