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68 killed in Davao de Oro mining town landslide

A handout photo provided by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) shows rescuers working as they continue a search operation at a landslide-hit village in the town of Maco, Davao de Oro province, Philippines, Feb. 7, 2024. Bureau of Fire Protection/EPA-EFE

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="A handout photo provided by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) shows rescuers working as they continue a search operation at a landslide-hit village in the town of Maco, Davao de Oro province, Philippines, Feb. 7, 2024. Bureau of Fire Protection/EPA-EFE  " src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2024/news/02/12/20240212-landslide.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><figcaption>A handout photo provided by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) shows rescuers working as they continue a search operation at a landslide-hit village in the town of Maco, Davao de Oro province, Philippines, Feb. 7, 2024. <em>Bureau of Fire Protection/EPA-EFE</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA <strong>(UPDATED)</strong> -- The death toll from a landslide that hit a gold-mining village in Davao de Oro rose to 68 on Monday, officials said, as searchers abandoned hope of finding any more survivors.</p><p>Hundreds of rescuers have used their bare hands, shovels and heavy earth-moving equipment for nearly a week looking for those buried when last Tuesday&#x27;s landslide hit the mountainous Masara village on Mindanao island.</p><p>More than a dozen bodies were pulled from the mud on Monday, with 51 people still missing, including mine workers and villagers, according to official figures released by the municipal government.</p><p>&quot;It is almost a week after the incident and... we are assuming that no one is alive there,&quot; Edward Macapili, spokesman for the Davao de Oro provincial disaster office, told AFP.</p><p>&quot;There is already a foul smell in the area now so there&#x27;s a need to fast-track the retrieval.&quot;</p><ul><li><a data-cke-saved-href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/2/10/27-bodies-recovered-from-davao-de-oro-landslide-site-1424" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/2/10/27-bodies-recovered-from-davao-de-oro-landslide-site-1424">28 bodies recovered from Davao De Oro landslide site</a></li><li><a data-cke-saved-href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/2/10/watch-ground-zero-of-masara-landslide-2003" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/2/10/watch-ground-zero-of-masara-landslide-2003">WATCH: Ground zero of Masara landslide</a></li></ul><p><br/>An area around 50 meters (164 feet) deep remains to be searched, Macapili added.</p><p>A three-year-old girl was pulled alive from under the rubble on Friday, in what rescuers described as a &quot;miracle&quot;.</p><p>The landslide buried three buses and a jeepney waiting for employees of a gold mining firm and 55 nearby houses, leaving 32 other people injured.</p><p>Authorities have vowed to continue the search until all those missing are recovered.</p><p>Landslides are a frequent hazard across much of the archipelago nation due to the mountainous terrain, heavy rainfall and widespread deforestation from mining, slash-and-burn farming and illegal logging.</p><p>Rain has pounded parts of Mindanao on and off for weeks, triggering dozens of landslides and floods that have forced tens of thousands of people into emergency shelters.</p><p>Massive earthquakes have also destabilized the region in recent months.</p><p>© Agence France-Presse<br/><br/></p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS:</strong></div><div><ivs-player data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-vid="2956708"></ivs-player></div><script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script><div><ivs-player data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-vid="2953583"></ivs-player></div><script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script>