According to the latest reports from different prominent news media organizations in the Philippines, the Compostela Valley landslides have caused the death of 25 people, 16 were injured and more than 100 residents were still missing.
The landslides which occurs early in the morning today, Thursday but authorities received the report of the incident at around 10 AM. It hit a remote mountain communities near the town of Pantukan in the province of Compostela Valley in Mindanao.
Local government authorities dispatched seven dump trucks to clear the area that was severely hit by the flooding. Incessant rains were the main causes of the flooding and eventually a landslide which hit an area of gold prospectors.
Deadly accidents such as flooding and landslides were often caused by unregulated mining activities in the town of Pantukan and Monkayo town. This town were ordered by the local government to be evacuated but the villagers often disobeys government orders.
Maj. Jacob Obligado, spokesperson of the 10th Infantry Division, was quoted as saying that “the landslide happened at around 3 a.m. in Sitio Diat Uno and Diat Palo in Barangay Napnapan.” said Obligado.
Meanwhile there were earlier reports that state that the landslide took place in the village of Kingking. The local government involved were making ways to coordinate with the national government for immediate evacuation of other dangerous areas.
Compostela Valley had already experienced a landslides before in which 26 people were killed in 2009 and on April 22 last year 13 people were also killed on the other side of the mountain.