Landslide leaves boy, 4, dead

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines - A four-year-old boy died in a landslide in North Upi town last Thursday, local officials said.

In a statement Saturday, the local government said Ranin Tuniakao was buried alive when mud and boulders rolled from a nearby mountain and covered their shanty in Barangay Blensong.

“The soil from the mountain was loosened due to heavy rains,” North Upi Mayor Ramon Piang told journalists in a text message.

Three members of the Tuniakao family were rescued 10 hours later. They were rushed to a hospital for treatment.

Low-lying areas around the town proper of North Upi were hit by flashfloods late Wednesday after more than six hours of heavy downpour.

Laisa Alamia, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s regional executive secretary, said relief workers have been dispatched to the areas.