Philippine landslide death toll rises to 71, search for 47 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 71, a government official said Tuesday.

Leah Anora of the Department of the Interior and Local Government told a press conference at Maco, the municipality where the tragedy occurred, that rescuers are still looking for 47 missing people.

Thirty-two people were injured but survived the tragedy, she added.

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

Soldiers and volunteers are continuing the search and retrieval operations. Edward Macapili, executive assistant on Davao de Oro province's information and communications, said Monday that the retrieval continued despite some "challenges" on the ground, including earthquakes.

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.