Landslides: Philippine minister orders stoppage of small-scale mining activities

Philippines’ environment minister on Monday ordered the stoppage of all small-scale mining activities in the country’s mountainous region following major landslides after super typhoon Mangkhut hit the country.

“I officially order the stoppage of all illegal small-scale mining in Cordillera Region,” Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu told a media briefing.

Mangkhut, with hurricane-force winds well over 200 km per hour (124 miles per hour), barreled past the northern tip of the Philippines on Saturday.

It killed at least 50 people, the majority of them due to landslides.

It then skirted South of Hong Kong and neighbouring Macau, before making landfall in China.