Search for survivors halted at buried Philippines village

Rescue teams abandoned the search for survivors of a Philippines landslide that buried a farming village a week ago, and will focus their efforts on helping evacuees who lost their homes in the disaster, an official said today.

“We have collectively decided to stop the search and rescue phase of the operation,” said Gov. Rosette Lerias of Southern Leyte province.

“We have decided to move on to recovery and rehabilitation of survivors because our greater responsibility ... is to rebuild the lives of those who have been devastated by this disaster,” she said.

The official death toll in the farming village of Guinsaugon is 132, but more than 1,000 people are believed dead and buried beneath tons of mud.