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Rescue resumes after 1,500 missingRescue effort in Philippines slowed by blackout, ground instability
RELATEDYOUR E-MAIL ALERTS(CNN) -- Rescuers have resumed searching for 1,500 people estimated missing after a massive mudslide buried a village in the southern Philippine island of Leyte. The head of the Philippine Red Cross Richard Gordon said that as many as 300 people may have died and estimated 1,500 villagers are missing. But other officials said it was still unclear exactly how many were missing from the village of 1,875 people because they don't know how many fled after warnings to leave. About 24 hours after mud buried hundreds of homes on Friday morning, 20 villagers were confirmed dead, and 56 people were found alive, including a child, said Rosette Lerias, provincial governor of Leyte. Rescue efforts had to be called off overnight because of unstable earth and a lack of electricity, said Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz, who is leading the rescue effort. After two weeks of rain, the sun was shining Saturday, but the ground remained unstable and Filipino soldiers digging at a school were forced to leave that site. The landslide triggered by "La Nina" rains swept the village away on Friday in a mud flow that covered a square kilometer of land (nearly half a mile) and wiped out most of the village of Guinsahugon. "Of the 300 houses in the area, only three are left that are not covered," said Gordon. Also, an elementary school with 246 students and seven teachers was covered by the mud. One policeman watched helplessly as the school housing his wife and four children was submerged "in seconds," Lerias said. Though there isn't much sign of life in the area, rescuers are still hoping to find survivors, said Gwen Pang of the Philippine Red Cross. Seven evacuation centers have been set up for the homeless and evacuated residents from surrounding villages. Mountain caved inPhilippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo told the nation that navy and coast guard ships had been deployed to the area. "Hopefully, you will soon be out of harm's way," she said. Governors and mayors had warned residents of the possibility of landslides after above-average rainfall was forecast, Defense Secretary Cruz said. The 20 inches of rainfall this month quadrupled the maximum rain in any previous month. Gordon said many villagers evacuated, but returned for a village celebration and "unfortunately, when they got back the mountain caved in on them." Though help was en route -- including volunteers, helicopters, a team of dogs and a cargo plane in addition to the military ships -- Gordon was concerned that roads to the remote village would be blocked or washed out. The U.S. military has several ships and hundreds of troops in the region and is sending two warships -- the aircraft carrier USS Essex and the dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry -- to the island to provide medical assistance and help with search-and-rescue operations. The U.S. Agency for International Development has authorized the U.S. embassy to disburse $50,000 in disaster assistance, said U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. The Philippines also is asking the United States for water, ready-to-eat meals, boots, blankets, medicine and earth-moving equipment. In 1991 about 6,000 people were killed on Leyte in floods and landslides triggered by a tropical storm, The Associated Press reported. Another 133 people died in floods and mudslides there in December 2003. Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. 
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