Maco, Davao de Oro LGU says landslide death toll at 11, with 110 missing

The number of missing from a landslide that struck Maco, Davao de Oro earlier this week rose to 110 on Thursday as rescuers recovered more bodies, bringing the official death toll to 11, disaster officials said.

The landslide happened on Tuesday night, burying homes and two buses, which a provincial official said were carrying more than two dozen passengers.

The number of missing had risen to 110 from the more than 40 previously reported, Maco's disaster agency said in a statement posted on its social media account, adding that more than 1,166 families had been evacuated from their homes.

Torrential rains have battered Davao de Oro in recent weeks, triggering floods and landslides.

Colonel Rosa Ma Cristina Rosete-Manuel, spokesperson for the military's Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) helping lead the rescue operations, said rescuers remained hopeful of finding survivors.

"We are trying to remain positive," she told Reuters by phone. — Reuters