A rain-induced landslide struck a gold-mining hamlet in a mountainous area of the southern Philippines on Wednesday, injuring 31 people and killing at least seven people, according to officials.
According to provincial disaster administrator Edward Macapili, the landslide struck Masara in Davao de Oro province on Mindanao island on Tuesday night, flattening homes and burying three buses and a jeepney that were waiting for mine workers, as reported by AFP.
Officials added that 48 people were reported missing, including at least 20 people who were stuck inside the cars, and rescuers were searching through the mud for them.
At least 28 people were inside the cars when the landslide occurred, but according to Macapili, eight could escape unharmed via the windows before the muck swallowed them.
The buses and jeepneys were outside the gold mine, where the workers were dropped off and picked up by the Philippine business Apex Mining.
According to a statement released by Apex Mining released on Wednesday afternoon, three 60-seater buses and a 36-person jeepney were affected by the landslide. Earlier reports had stated that the landslide had damaged two buses.
The company reported that 45 employees were missing, 62 staff were safe, and a fourth bus had departed before the mudslide engulfed the area.
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