Hope fades in Philippines

Devastation: The area where people are buried after the typhoon at the mining camp in Itogon. — Reuters

ITOGON: A Philippine mayor said it’s unlikely any of the dozens of people thought buried in a huge landslide set off by Typhoon Mangkhut will be found alive, though rescuers were still digging through the massive mound of mud and debris covering a chapel where they had sheltered.

Mayor Victorio Palangdan of Itogon town in Benguet province, among the worst-hit by the typhoon that struck on Saturday, said at a news conference that of the 40 to 50 people thought buried, there’s a “99% (chance) that they really are all dead.”