18 February 2006 1,500 missing after Philippines landslide
Around 1,500 people are reported missing following a major landslide in the Philippines, which has buried a primary school and around 300 houses.
At least 200 are feared to have been killed by the mudslide which struck the village of Guinsahugon on Leyte Island without warning.
Rescue efforts are currently hampered by unstable thick mud from the landslide, currently covering around one square kilometre.
"Our people had to flee because the landslide appeared to be crawling," said Rosette Lerias, governor of the Leyte province.
But Philippines president Gloria Arroyo said that "help is on the way," ordering the coast guard, navy and air force to assist the rescue efforts.
Further landslides and flooding are possible as the La Nina phenomenon continues to cause unusually high levels of rainfall, already killing 13 people in the Philippine provinces of Suriago del Sur and Leyte this week.
Floods and landslides killed 6,000 on Leyte in 1991, caused by conditions of prolonged heavy rain and tropical storms similar to those currently being experienced by the island's beleaguered inhabitants. 
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