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Heavy rains trigger deadly landslide on Cebu in the Philippines

By Nicholas Sakelaris
Rescuers dig through a landslide area in Naga City, Cebu province, central Philippines on Thursday. Photo by Jay Rommel Labra/EPA-EFE
1 of 3 | Rescuers dig through a landslide area in Naga City, Cebu province, central Philippines on Thursday. Photo by Jay Rommel Labra/EPA-EFE

Sept. 20 (UPI) -- A massive landslide left 26 homes buried, killed at least four people and left another 64 people missing Thursday morning on the island of Cebu in the Philippines.

Rescuers could hear people screaming beneath the dirt and debris as they frantically dug their way through to get them. Some families are also getting text messages from missing relatives. The landslides were triggered by heavy rains from Typhoon Mangkhut, which hit the Philippines last week.

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"This is the first time I've seen this kind of landslide. It's massive and almost everyone is affected. Even the miners are helping the rescuers, the police--everyone is giving their best," one rescuer told CNN.

The mayor of Naga City told The Freeman, a Cebu news agency, that the landslide occurred near a quarry site that had been ordered to stop operations in August. But she cautioned against blaming the quarry operator.

Heavy equipment has been directed to the area to help dig through the dirt. More than 315 families have been evacuated from Naga City. A 4-year-old child is among the dead.

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Mangkhut's deluge caused another landslide in Itogon on Luzon, the most populous island in the Philippines. That landslide killed at least 18 people and destroyed hundreds of homes.

Mangkhut was the strongest storm of 2018. It killed 63 people, injured 42 and left dozens more missing in Luzon alone.

Typhoon Mangkhut hit China Monday, forcing the evacuation of 3.1 million people and killing at least four people. The storm caused more mudslides and flooding.

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