Manila (dpa) – Philippine rescuers on Thursday battled against time, rain and equipment shortages in their search for at least 71 people missing in landslides for three days. Thirty people have been confirmed killed by Monday's landslides, triggered by heavy rains and a magnitude-6.9 earthquake. Search operations for 29 missing in the village of Planas in Guihulngan City in Negros Oriental province, 570 kilometers south of Manila, were suspended after heavy rains and fears that the remaining part of the collapsed mountain would break. Army Captain Anacito Naz said heavy equipment was being used in nearby La Libertad town to dig through more than 3 meters of soil in a landslide in the village of Solonggon, where 42 people are unaccounted for. Rescuers have so far found only one body and animal carcasses, he said. In Jimalalud town, rescuers retrieved four bodies buried in another landslide, bringing to 30 the official death toll in the quake, civil defense chief Benito Ramos said. Ramos earlier expressed fears that the chances of finding survivors were slim. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/l7qbB Tags: Earthquake, Landslide, Philippines Section: East Asia, Latest News
