Philippine Rescuers Dig Through Mud

Rescuers in the Philippines all but gave up hope Monday of finding survivors in mudslide-swamped villages on the slopes of the Mayon volcano, five days after Typhoon Durian killed an estimated 1,000 people.

A weakened Durian headed toward southern Vietnam, where authorities evacuated tens of thousands of people. The typhoon's winds were clocked at 82 mph Monday.

Durian lashed the Philippines on Thursday with 165 mph winds and a five-hour deluge that dislodged tons of debris from the slopes of the volcano. Walls of mud and boulders destroyed nearly every standing structure in their path.

''It was like bowling,'' said Guinobatan Vice Mayor Gene Villareal.

Official figures showed 450 dead, 507 injured and 599 missing, but Sen. Richard Gordon, head of the local Red Cross, said he believed more than 1,000 died in the thousands of homes buried under volcanic debris, mud and flood waters.

from the NY Times