MANILA, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a landslide in a mining town in Davao de Oro province in southern Philippines on Feb. 6 has climbed to 98, a regional disaster prevention office said Saturday.
The Maco Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said rescuers continue to search for nine others who remained missing.
Rocks, soil and debris triggered by days of rain slid from mountainside on the evening of Feb. 6, burying houses and vehicles on its path, including two buses that were used to ferry workers to and from a nearby mining firm in Maco town. The miners on the buses were among the dead.
Thirty-two people sustained injuries.
The World Risk Index 2022 put the Philippines at number one spot for the most disaster-prone countries in the world.
Located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, the archipelago is frequently battered by powerful typhoons, which trigger flash floods and landslides, and rocked by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. ■