Manila  - Six people were killed when a town health centre collapsed under tons of mud in the western Philippines, a provincial police chief said Thursday.

Rescue workers recovered six bodies late Wednesday from the health centre in Taytay town in Palawan province, 600 kilometres south of Manila, Senior Superintendent Aurelio Trampe said.

Trampe said the health centre, located at the foot of a mountain, collapsed after the mud fell on it Wednesday.

"We have stopped the search and rescue operations," he said. "All the missing have been accounted for."

Demetria De Luna, officer in charge at the nearby district hospital, said the soil from the mountain slope must have softened from days of heavy rains.

"There was a riprap at the back of the health centre to protect it from falling debris, but huge chunks of soil fell on the building and it collapsed," she said. (dpa)