8 killed in Davao landslides amid heavy rains

Eight people have died in separate landslides in the Davao region over the past two days due to inclement weather, the Office of Civil Defense reported Sunday.

The landslides were triggered by continuous heavy rainfall spawned by a shear line that has been affecting the region in recent days.

OCD Davao Region Director Ednar Dayanghirang said authorities have yet to determine whether there are other victims or missing persons.

The city government of Mati in Davao Oriental confirmed that four members of a family were killed early Saturday after their house in Barangay Salazar was buried under rocks and soil.

The fatalities included the father, his pregnant wife and their two daughters.

On the same day, a small-scale miner was killed in another landslide in Pantukan, Davao de Oro. The victim was found under mud and fallen trees in Barangay Napnapan.

On Thursday night, three people were also buried alive when a hilly area in Monkayo town, also in Davao de Oro, collapsed.

The victims were reportedly asleep in their house in Barangay Rizal when the landslide struck shortly before midnight.

The Davao region Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said heavy rainfall affected 14 barangays across the region, displacing 997 families who sought shelter in evacuation centers.

Classes in all levels were suspended in all five provinces in the region, as well as in Davao City, due to bad weather.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said the shear line would continue to bring rain over parts of the Visayas and Mindanao.

PAGASA warned of scattered rains and isolated thunderstorms that may cause flash floods and landslides in Mindanao and Eastern and Central Visayas.

An orange rainfall warning has been raised over Surigao del Sur until tomorrow afternoon.

Eastern Samar, Leyte and Southern Leyte in Eastern Visayas, as well as Agusan del Norte, Dinagat Islands and Surigao provinces in Mindanao, are under a yellow rainfall warning until tomorrow afternoon.