Philippines hit by deadly torrential rain and landslides as thousands evacuated

Nearly 10,000 were affected by the downpours in recent days

People wade through floodwaters brought by Tropical Storm Penha in Iligan, Lanao del Norte (AFP/Getty)

Torrential downpours have triggered deadly landslides and widespread flooding across the southeastern Philippines, claiming the lives of seven people and displacing more than 3,000 villagers, officials confirmed on Friday.

In one incident, a house in the coastal city of Mati, Davao Oriental province, was engulfed by a boulder-laden landslide. A couple and their two young daughters were killed in the disaster.

Emergency services deployed earth-moving equipment to recover the bodies, according to Ednar Dayanghirang, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense.

In Monkayo, a gold-mining town in Davao de Oro province near Davao Oriental, the remains of three people were dug up after their house was buried late Thursday by a landslide, Dayanghirang and other officials said.

In this Feb. 9, 2024 handout photo from Municipality of Monkayo, rescuers work at the landslide-hit village of Maco in Davao de Oro province (AP)

Nearly 10,000 were affected by the downpours in recent days, including more than 3,200 people who were forced to move to emergency shelters or with relatives, Dayanghirang said.

Several outlying provinces and towns were forced to cancel classes and work, he said.

The downpours and thunderstorms occurred well ahead of the typhoon season, which usually starts in June, and were caused by cold wind interacting with warm and moist air from the Pacific, forecasters said.

About 20 typhoons and storms each year batter the Philippine archipelago, which also lies in the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are common, making the Southeast Asian nation one of the world's most disaster-prone.