As many as 200 people may have died in landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in the southern Philippines, according to officials. Most of the victims were asleep when the landslides hit the southern towns of San Francisco and Liloan in Leyte province late on Friday. At least 77 bodies have been recovered and about 120 people are missing. The governor of the worst-hit province has blamed illegal logging for the landslides. The governor, Rosette Lerias, said cutting down trees growing on the slopes above settlements loosened the soil. **Disaster-prone area*** Rescuers have been using shovels and iron bars to dig survivors out of the debris. An official there quoted survivors as saying they heard a great noise from the mountains, and that shortly afterwards a current of mud swept down on top of them. Rescue efforts are being hampered by smaller landslides that have blocked roads. Soldiers have been trying to reach the area on foot and on lorries, as heavy rain and winds grounded back-up helicopters, officials said. "We really have no idea of the magnitude of the disaster," Governor Lerias said. On the Mindanao island to the south, at least 16 people were killed. The BBC's John McLean in Manila says the Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone areas in the world, and landslides are particularly common. Illegal logging was blamed for a much more deadly disaster in the same region in 1991 when floods and landslides in the city of Ormoc killed some 5,000 people, our correspondent says. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Video grab of the hands of a victim sticking out of the mud after landslides occurred near the town of Liloan in the Southern Leyte province in Philippines, late December 20, 2003. (Abn-Cbn Tv/Reuters)