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Frantic dig for Philippine victims of landslide

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ITOGON: Philippine rescuers used shovels and bare hands to claw through mounds of rocky soil on Monday in a desperate search for dozens feared buried under a landslide unleashed by Typhoon Mangkhut.


Searchers have already pulled 11 bodies from the vast debris field in the mountain town of Itogon in the disaster-prone nation’s north. Dozens may still be buried, with little hope they have survived.


The death toll in the Philippines, where the north of the main island of Luzon was mauled by fierce winds and rain, reached 65. It was expected to rise further as frantic rescuers pulled bodies from the massive landslide in Itogon.


Tearful families surrounded a white board bearing names of the dead and missing as others inspected recovered bodies for signs these could be their loved ones, more than 48 hours since the typhoon hit the north of the country’s main island of Luzon.


“We’re relieved that it’s not him,” Joan Catteg, 42, said referring to her missing cousin Harvey, a miner in the area. “He was at the bunkhouse during Typhoon Mangkhut. He texted his wife not to worry. He said nothing bad will happen to him and that once the rain stops, he will go up. But he hasn’t returned until now.”


Itogon Mayor Victorio Palangdan said there were an estimated 40 to 50 people in the area during the landslide.


“We believe that those people there, maybe 99 per cent, are already dead,” he said.


A hillside weakened by the monster storm’s lashing rains collapsed on the miners’ bunkhouse about half a kilometre below.


Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte repeated his call on Monday to shut all mines in the country following deadly landslides, hours after his minister halted all small-scale mining in a mountainous gold-rich region.


“If I were to try to do my thing, I will close all mining in the Philippines,” he said, presiding over a televised meeting of the government’s disaster response team two days after a powerful typhoon struck.


Duterte has often criticised the mining industry, saying the environmental damage far outweighs any benefit to the economy.


His latest comments followed an order earlier by Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu to stop all small-scale mining in the Cordillera region, where landslides killed 24 people.


Massive clean-up: Hong Kong began a massive clean-up on Monday after typhoon raked the city, shredding trees and bringing damaging floods in a trail of destruction that left dozens dead in the Philippines and millions evacuated in southern China.


After tearing through Luzon and pummelling Hong Kong and Macau, the storm made landfall in mainland China late on Sunday. It killed four in Guangdong province, including three hit by falling trees.


Authorities there said they had evacuated more than three million people and ordered tens of thousands of fishing boats back to port before the arrival of what Chinese media dubbed the “King of Storms”.


In the high-rise city of Hong Kong, the government described the damage as “severe and extensive” with more than 300 people injured in Mangkhut, which triggered the maximum “T10” typhoon alert.


The monumental task of cleaning up the city began as residents, some in suits and ties, struggled to get back to work on roads that remained blocked by felled trees, mud and debris.


Bus services were halted and commuters piled onto platforms trying to board infrequent trains after trees fell on overhead power lines. Schools will remain closed through Tuesday. Landslides and severe flooding affected some areas, with over 1,500 residents seeking refuge in temporary shelters overnight.


The storm, with gusts of more than 230 kilometres per hour, sent buildings swaying and waters surging into homes and shopping malls in Hong Kong, with some roads waist-deep in water. — AFP/Reuters


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