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Manila: At least 11 people were killed by two mudslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains in southern Philippines, with 16 others missing, officials said on Sunday.
Rescue workers pulled 11 bodies buried under tonnes of mud after rains loosened soil burying about 20 makeshift houses in Compostela Valley on Mindanao island on Saturday
The landslides, which cascaded down a mountainside with frightening booms, buried about 28 houses and forced up to 5,000 people in Masara and nearby villages to run from their homes, said Mayor Voltaire Regalado of Maco township, which includes Masara.
Teams of soldiers, police officers, miners and volunteers, backed by helicopters, continued to dig under debris of destroyed homes and mud to search for thel missing after the landslide hit.
An army spokesman, Major Armand Rico, earlier told reporters: "Our boys had found eight bodies and rescued 17 people from collapsed makeshift houses."
"More than a hundred people had been evacuated to safer grounds due to shaky ground. Our people are battling against weather and time," he added.
Another mudslide took place early on Sunday in the same region, blocking a mountain road leading to a stricken village in Maco town.
"We're sending two helicopters to help in evacuating victims to hospitals," he said, adding soldiers from an army battalion stationed had been ordered to help in the rescue efforts.
Disaster officials ordered residents to leave the towns near the mining area due to the threat of another landslide and flooding.
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