The death toll from heavy rains in the southern Philippines over the past week has risen to eight, authorities said Thursday.

Three miners were buried alive late on Tuesday when a tunnel in a small-scale gold mine on Mindanao island collapsed due to heavy rains, local government spokesman Jun Parada said.

A fisherman also drowned in rough waters on the same day, he added.

The latest confirmed fatalities bring to eight the number killed by the rains that have pounded Mindanao since last week.

More than 44,000 people are sheltering from flooding in evacuation centres, said civil defence administrator Benito Ramos.

But the rains over Mindanao eased on Thursday as the low-pressure area moved south, Ramos said.