27 miners missing after landslides strike southern Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A landslide in the southern Philippines left at least seven villagers dead and 48 others missing, including miners waiting in buses for a ride home, officials said Wednesday.

Army troops, police and volunteers rescued 31 residents who were injured when the landslide hit the mountain village of Masara in Davao de Oro province Tuesday night. The search resumed Wednesday after it was suspended overnight due to fears of more landslides, officials said.

More than 750 families have been moved to evacuation centers, disaster response officials said.

Among the missing were 27 miners who had been waiting in two buses to be driven home when the landslide hit, Davao de Oro provincial spokesperson Edward Macapili said. Several miners jumped out windows or dashed away and survived.

Torrential rains that swamped the region in recent weeks have eased and the weather had been clear in previous days, Macapili said.

“It happened so fast,” he said by phone. “They suddenly saw the landslide cascading directly toward them.”

Earthquakes in recent months damaged buildings in the southeast, and more than a dozen villagers had died in recent weeks from flooding and landslides, according to disaster response officials.