Four miners buried in Philippine landslide

MANILA: At least four miners were buried alive in a landslide in the southern Philippines, military spokesmen and the government announced Saturday.

Two other miners who were also buried in the landslide were withdrawn, but rescue teams have not yet dug four others, said military spokesman Colonel Lyndon area Paniza.

"These people are unregistered minors. They were just digging in the area where there was a landslide, "Paniza told AFP.

Paniza hoped that the four remaining miners could be alive, saying it was standard practice for smallholder farmers to have the pipes to reach the surface through which they can breathe.

Heavy rains had weakened the soil in the mountainous region Tampakan, leading to a landslide that covered the mine on Friday, said provincial social welfare officer Nelida Periera.

Rescue teams were still government and private dig the tunnel to reach the miners missing, "she added.

Tampakan, located in the southern island of Mindanao, is known to be rich in gold and copper, and many small illegal mines are active, where people manually tunnel through the ground for valuable minerals. - (AFP)