Part of Mountain in Panganason, kingking Village in the compostela Valley collapsed around 2:30 a.m.
In the latest update, officials of search and rescue operation pulled out at least 27 bodies out form the mud. But six people were earlier rescued by soldiers, policemen and civilian.
As the search and rescue operation is still continuing, many bodies are recovered and most of them are children. This is according to Pantukan Mayor Celso Sarenas.
Officials are now in fear the more casualties have been buried under the mud slide and a possibility that the number of missing person could easily hit to more than two dozen.
Compostela Valley police chief Senior Superintendent Aaron Aquino sad that the thick cloud covering the place makes it hard for Air Force helicopters to land at Panganason village,
The site where the landslide happened was also hit by previous landslides last 2010 which killed at least 26 people in the village.
For better and faster rescue operation, Military’s Easter Mindanao Command have released to the site three helicopters and sniffer dogs to locate possible survivors in the place.
According to Ligayo, they are expecting that there are 30 to 40 people are still missing. He said that their rescue operation is now on focused on the collapsed mine where it is expected that there are 5 miners trapped inside and they are still alive after a voice were heard from the shaft.
To cater addresses and request of affected local citizen in the village, the office of Mayor Sarenas and the Social Welfare Office set up a disaster action center in the proper of kingking.
Expected victims are mostly Miners and people living under the mountain. Stores and ore milling company were also wiped out in the landslide.
According to military officials, the intermittent rain must have softened the soil in the mountain which causes the landslide
