Manila, Sep 20 (IANS): Four people died and at least 20 houses were buried on Thursday after a landslide in Philippines' Cebu province.

The authorities recovered bodies a four-year old, two elderly women and a man while carrying out search and rescue work in the area, police spokesperson Roderick Gonzales was cited as saying by Efe news.

While the exact number of people trapped was unknown, between 20 and 25 houses were completely buried by the landslide, caused by recent heavy rainfall.

Gonzales said that rescue operations were at a crucial phase because there were still chances of finding people alive. Around 300 families were evacuated from the area.

Typhoon Mangkhut lashed the northern part of the country on Saturday, bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds, causing landslides in several places -- especially the mountainous Cordillera region -- where 72 of the total 88 typhoon-related deaths occurred, according to authorities.