Philippine landslide death toll rises to 92, search for 36 continues

MANILA -- The death toll from the Feb 6 landslide that hit a mining town in Davao de Oro province in the southern Philippines has risen to 92, local authorities said Thursday.

Provincial government of Davao de Oro said on social media that rescuers are still looking for 36 missing people.

Leah Anora of the Department of Interior and Local government told a press conference at Maco, the municipality where the tragedy occurred, that 32 people were injured but survived the tragedy.

The dead and missing people include workers of a mining company trapped inside two buses buried by the rocks, mud, and trees that rampaged from the mountainside. The buses ferry workers to and from the mining site.

The World Risk Index 2022 put the Philippines at the number one spot for the most disaster-prone countries in the world.

Located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, the archipelago is frequently battered by powerful typhoons, triggering flash floods and landslides, and rocked by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.