90 people missing, rescuers use hands to dig through mud to search

Rescuers are racing against time as the number of missing people has risen to 90 two days after the landslide, nearly double the number recorded the day before. Meanwhile, the weather is hindering the delivery of specialized equipment to the scene.

At least seven people have died and 31 others have been injured in the landslide, while many houses and vehicles carrying workers at a nearby gold mine were also submerged in mud, according to The Manila Times.

Scene of the landslide

Edward Macapili, a disaster agency official in Davao de Oro province, told AFP that the landslide left a deep gash in the mountain. Rescuers pulled one person alive from the mud 11 hours after the disaster, so he believes there is still a chance to save the missing.

Police, soldiers and rescue workers from neighboring areas have also been deployed to Masara to assist in search and rescue operations.

Landslides are a frequent hazard across much of the Philippines due to mountainous terrain, heavy rainfall and widespread deforestation from mining, slash-and-burn agriculture and illegal logging.

Rains have been pounding parts of Mindanao for weeks now, causing dozens of landslides and flooding that have forced tens of thousands of people into emergency shelters.

Major earthquakes have also destabilized the region in recent months, Science and Technology Minister Renato Solidum said on February 7. Hundreds of families in Masara and four nearby villages have been evacuated from their homes and taken refuge in emergency centers for fear of further landslides.

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