24 people killed in the Philippines as tropical storm triggers floods and landslides – Firstpost

Widespread flooding and landslides triggered by a tropical storm in the northeastern Philippines on Thursday killed at least 24 people, carried away cars and prompted authorities to use speedboats to rescue trapped villagers, some on their roofs.

The government closed schools and offices – except those urgently needed for disaster response – across the main island of Luzon to protect millions of people after Tropical Storm Trami hit the northeastern province of Isabela after midnight.

The storm passed over the town of Aguinaldo in the mountainous province of Ifugao after dawn with sustained winds of up to 95 km/h (59 mph) and gusts of up to 160 km/h (99 mph). It was blowing westward and was expected to enter the South China Sea later on Thursday, according to state forecasters.

At least 24 people have died, mostly by drowning, in the hard-hit Bicol region and nearby Quezon province, but the death toll is expected to rise as towns and villages isolated by floods and roads blocked by landslides and fallen trees send out reports, police say. provincial officials said.

Most of the storm deaths were reported in the six-province Bicol region, southeast of Manila, where at least 20 people died, including seven residents of the city of Naga, which was inundated by flash floods as Trami approached on Tuesday, causing more than two months. The amount of rainfall in just 24 hours at high tide, regional police commander Brig. Gen. Andre Dizon and other officials said.

While thousands of villagers stranded in floodwaters were rescued by government forces, many more had to be rescued in the Bicol region on Thursday, including some from their rooftops. Dizon said about 1,500 police officers were deployed to mitigate the disaster.

“We can’t save them all at once because there are so many of them and we need additional speedboats,” Dizon told The Associated Press by phone. “We are looking for ways to provide food and water to those who were trapped but unable to evacuate immediately.”

Flash floods swept away and submerged cars in parts of Naga city, while mud from Mayon, one of the country’s 24 active volcanoes in nearby Albay province, engulfed several vehicles, Dizon said.

Officials say stormy weather remains in the region, hampering relief efforts.

The government’s disaster mitigation agency said the storm affected more than 2 million people, including 75,400 rural residents who were displaced from their homes and took refuge in safer places.

About 20 storms and typhoons hit the Philippines every year. In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the world’s strongest tropical cyclones on record, left more than 7,300 people dead or missing and leveled entire villages.