200 perish in mudslide

The village of Guinsaugon, once a community of 2,500 people, now looks like a 100-acre patch of newly plowed land. Its 375 homes and elementary school were buried under mud up to 30 feet deep. Only a few small piles of debris hint at the devastation.

The official death toll stood at 23 after darkness forced suspension of rescue efforts. But the Philippine Red Cross estimated 1,500 people were missing, and the number of survivors plucked from the brown morass stood at just 53 on Leyte island, 670 kilometres southeast of Manila.

8220;Our village is gone, everything was buried in mud,8221; said survivor Eugene Pilo, who lost his family.

Rescue workers were hampered by the thick, soft mud that remained unstable, along with flash floods spawned by two weeks of downpours that dumped 27 inches of rain on the area.

A second, minor landslide added to volunteers8217; jitters, and a helicopter pilot said the ground near the top of the mountain was still moving in late afternoon.

8220;You could see a patch of green then mud where it was,8221; Leo Dimaala said, estimating that half the mountain had already collapsed.

Two other villages also were affected, and about 3,000 evacuees were at a municipal hall. 8220;We did not find injured people,8221; said Ricky Estela, a crewman on a helicopter that flew a politician to the scene. 8220;Most of them are dead and beneath the mud.8221;

Education officials said 250 students and teachers were believed to have been at the school. Only one girl and a woman were rescued alive.

Sen Richard Gordon, head of the Philippine Red Cross, said initial estimates suggested at least 200 died and 1,500 were missing. He appealed for international aid, while Governor Lerias asked for people to dig by hand, saying the mud was too soft for heavy equipment.

8220;I have a glimmer of hope, based on the rule of thumb within 24 hours you can still find survivors,8221; Lerias said. 8220;After that, you move on to the recovery phase, but right now it8217;s still rescue mode.8221;

Aerial TV footage showed a wide swath of mud amid stretches of rice paddies at the foothills of the now-scarred mountain, where survivors blamed illegal logging for contributing to the disaster.

A small earthquake also shook the area, but scientists said it occurred after the landslide and likely was unrelated.

Rescue workers dug with shovels for signs of survivors, and put a child on a stretcher, with little more than the girl8217;s eyes showing through a covering of mud.

8220;Let us all pray for those who perished and were affected by this tragedy,8221; President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said. 8220;Help is on the way,8221; she promised survivors. 8220;You will soon be out of harm8217;s way.8221; 8212;AP