Philippines landslide death toll at 1,800
(AP)
Updated: 2006-02-19 10:57

"There were similar landslides at the end of 2004 and the end of 2003, both directly linked to illegal logging on land above villages, and both in the Philippines," said Vendetti.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies blamed a combination of the weather and the type of trees prevalent in the area.

"The remote coastal area of southern Leyte ... is heavily forested with coconut trees," the Red Cross said from Geneva. "They have shallow roots, which can be easily dislodged after heavy rains, causing the land to become unstable."

Southern Leyte province Gov. Rosette Lerias said many residents fled the area last week for fear of landslides but sunny weather lured them back.

Even before the landslide, "trees were sliding down upright with the mud," Lerias said.

Army Capt. Edmund Abella said he and about 30 soldiers were wading through waist-deep mud and digging by hand.

"A few minutes ago, mounds of earth came down from the mountain again with the rain and rescuers ran away to safety," Abella said.

Maria Lim, mayor of St. Bernard town that includes Guinsaugon, said the body of a British man, Trevor White, had been recovered far from his house, described as one of the best concrete structures in the village. His Filipino wife was missing.

"Help is on the way," President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said in televised remarks. "It will come from land, sea and air."

The international Red Cross launched an emergency appeal for $1.5 million for relief operations.

The U.S. military dispatched the USS Harpers Ferry and the USS Essex to the area, along with 1,000 Marines. The United States also is sending money requested by the Philippine government for search and rescue, White House spokesman Trent Duffy said. He did not say how much would be sent.

Last weekend, seven road construction workers died in a landslide after falling into a 150-foot deep ravine in the mountain town of Sogod on Leyte.

In 1991, about 6,000 people were killed on Leyte in floods and landslides triggered by a tropical storm. Another 133 people died in floods and mudslides there in 2003.

In 1944, the waters off Leyte island became the scene of the biggest naval battle in history, when U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur fulfilled his famed vow "I shall return" and routed Japanese forces occupying the Philippines.