| Translate This News In |
|---|
During the southern Philippines’ severe downpour from an impending storm, 13 people were killed by landslides and flooding, leaving some locals stranded on rooftops.
Flooded Cotabato, a 300,000-person metropolis, was surrounded by largely rural settlements where torrents of rains released flash floods that were packed with uprooted trees, rocks, and mud.
Naguib Sinarimbo, the region’s civil defence head and spokesman, told AFP that seven individuals were still unaccounted for.
According to him, ten of the victims were residents of the Mindanao island village of Datu Blah Sinsuat.
In the neighbouring town of Datu Odin Sinsuat, rescuers found three more bodies.
“Before morning, water started seeping into the homes. We’ve never experienced that before, “Sinarimbo stated.
According to Mr. Sinarimbo, rescue personnel in rubber boats had to rescue some inhabitants from rooftops.
We’re hoping that will be the end of the toll, he said.
In a different image, police rescuers can be seen wading through chest-deep floodwaters while toting a baby in a plastic washtub.
Although some floodwaters have now subsided, Mr. Sinarimbo warned that additional flooding could occur in the coming hours due to heavy rain upstream. About 90% of Cotabato City is still under water.
Although it was unclear how many individuals were affected, he stated, “Our goal right now is rescue as well as putting up community kitchens for the survivors.”
After decades of separatist armed conflict, the poor region is now governed by Muslims and had heavy rain for the first time late Thursday.
Tropical Storm Nalgae, located far to the northeast, was partially to blame, according to the state weather office in Manila.
Nalgae was making route to the northern Philippines, where the civil defence office reported that about 5,000 people had been evacuated from flood- and landslide-prone areas before it was predicted to make landfall on Saturday or Sunday.
Every year, the Philippines is attacked by an average of 20 typhoons and storms, which kill people and livestock while destroying homes, farms, highways, and bridges. The south is less frequently affected.
