Hundreds killed as rains trigger mudslides

A DEVASTATING torrent of mud and volcanic ash has killed at least 388 people in the Philippines.

The mudslides swamped villages after they were triggered by typhoon rains.

Another 96 people are still missing, Red Cross spokeswoman Teresa Arguelles said yesterday. All the deaths were in the eastern Albay province.

She said she expected the toll to rise. Rescuers have yet to reach places isolated by the heavy rains and winds brought on when super-typhoon Durian struck.

The mudslides reached as high as rooftops as they poured down from Mount Mayon volcano, about 350 kilometres south-east of Manila, witnesses said.

President Gloria Arroyo directed troops and police to back up provincial disaster relief agencies overwhelmed by the scale of the tragedy.

Rescue teams were hampered by blocked roads and swollen rivers as they tried to reach many of the villages dotted around the still-active volcano.