At least four small-scale miners were buried alive in a landslide in the southern Philippines, military and government spokesmen said on Saturday. Two other miners who were also buried in the landslide were pulled out but rescue teams still have not dug out the other four, said regional military spokesman Colonel Lyndon Paniza.
"These people are unregistered miners. They were just digging in the area when there was a landslide," Paniza told AFP. Paniza expressed hope that the four remaining miners might still be alive, saying it was standard practice for small-scale miners to have hoses that reach to the surface through which they can breathe. Heavy rain had weakened the soil in the mountainous Tampakan area, leading to the landslide on Friday that covered the mine, said provincial social welfare officer Nelida Periera. Government and private rescue teams were still digging through the tunnel to reach the missing miners, she added.