Landslide kills 25 in southern Philippines

MANILA, Philippines, Jan 5: Philippine officials say a landslide in the southern Mindanao region has killed at least 25 people and that more than 100 others remain buried in the rubble.



Compostela Valley provincial Gov. Arturo Uy says the landslide hit a small-scale mining area in Pantukan township before dawn Thursday. The disaster occurred in a region where devastating flash floods triggered by a tropical storm killed more than 1,250 people last month. [break]



Army Lt. Col. Camilo Ligayo says about 120 soldiers were heading to the area to help dig for survivors and bodies.



Uy says miners and their families had been warned of the high risks. Some residents in the area were forced to evacuate after a landslide killed about 20 people last April near the site of Thursday´s slide.

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