Four Children Feared Dead in Philippine Landslide
Four children aged 3 to 12 were feared dead after a landslide struck the house where they had sought refuge during a rainstorm in the southern Philippines, a police official said Friday.
The disaster occurred in a remote part of the southern island of Mindanao late Tuesday, said deputy police chief Inspector Rustom Romina.
The parents of the children, all cousins, were working in the fields when they suddenly heard a loud rumbling and watched in horror as part of the nearby mountain collapsed on the abandoned house, said Romina.
Residents tried to dig the children out but could not bring in heavy equipment to the remote area and could only use hand tools. The bodies of the children had yet to be found by Friday.
"The retrieval is very hard because of the fallen coconut trees and bamboo. We have already resorted to using chainsaws," Romina said.
He said the landslide came after heavy rains battered the area for several days.
Source: Agence France Presse
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