MANILA - At least 10 people were killed when a landslide hit a house in the southern Philippines on Jan 18, a disaster official said.

The incident happened in the morning in a mountainous gold mining region of Davao de Oro province on Mindanao island, where heavy rain triggered flooding and landslides that week.

The death toll from a landslide in the southern Philippines rose to 10, Monkayo municipal disaster officer Rocris Idul told AFP on Jan 19.

Fourteen people were gathered in a house for a prayer meeting in the mountainous gold mining region of Davao de Oro province when the landslide hit on Jan 18 following days of heavy rain.

Rescuers have recovered 10 bodies, including five children from the same family, Mr Idul said.

One man, a woman and a one-year-old baby girl were pulled alive from the mud. The adults suffered minor injuries, but the child was severely hurt, official data showed.

One person is still missing.

“We’re hoping to find the last body as soon as we can,” Mr Idul said, but added that search operations were being hampered by more landslides in the area on Jan 19.

“A significant mass of land was eroded in the area this morning so we had to stop for around 15 to 30 minutes,” he said.

“We cannot risk the lives of our responders.”

Monkayo Mayor Manuel Zamora had issued a warning on Jan 17 for people living in “high-risk” areas of the municipality to leave their homes, his chief of staff, Ms Rodielyn Manugas, told AFP.

Schools in the municipality were ordered to suspend classes on Jan 19, with more heavy rain expected in the region. AFP