MANILA, Philippines – A mudslide triggered by days of heavy rain buried houses in a southern Philippine gold mining town, killing at least five people including children and leaving several others missing, officials said Friday.
A mother and her two children were among the bodies pulled out from the mountainside village of Upper Ulip in Compostela Valley province's Monkayo township, said rescuer Johannes Fortaleza.
The mudslide tumbled down the mountain slope on Thursday, destroying several houses and burying residents as they were walking along a road, said village official Glenda Verallio.
One man survived and at least two people were missing but the number could be higher, she said.
Another nine people were rescued in the nearby gold rush town of Mount Diwata, which was hit by a separate landslide Thursday, said village chief Francisco Tito.
The area around Mount Diwata — which is situated along a mountain range with the same name — has around 40,000 residents, mostly miners and their families.
Landslides are common in the area, which is believed to sit atop a rich gold deposit, about 580 miles southeast of Manila.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox