MANILA - A landslide tore through a tiny gold-mining village in the southern Philippines yesterday, killing 25 people and burying dozens more, months after the government warned residents the mountain was certain to crumble.

The mountainside in Napnapan village in Pantukan township collapsed around 3 a.m., when most residents were asleep, sweeping away about 50 houses, shanties, and other buildings, officials said. A fissure in the mountain discovered last year likely was aggravated by heavy rains and continuous mining in the saturated ground.

Thousands of poor Filipinos dig and pan for gold in the area, hoping to strike it rich despite the dangers of largely unregulated mining. The tunnels are often unstable, and landslides and accidents are common.

Aside from those confirmed dead, more than 100 people were believed buried in the earth rubble, said Compostela Valley provincial Governor Arturo Uy.

Scores of soldiers and volunteers were helping villagers dig for survivors and bodies, regional military spokesman Colonel Leopoldo Galon said. The bodies of two girls aged 6 and 14 were among those retrieved.

At least 16 people were taken to a hospital, with six in critical condition, Galon said.

Ramon Paje, Environment and Natural Resources secretary, said he had warned residents and local officials last year of a fissure on a ridge of the mountain that geologists said was highly susceptible to landslides that could occur anytime.

“We were absolute that it will give in,’’ he said. “It was a 100 percent warning. We told them it’s just a matter of time. . . . This is what happened this morning.’’