Flooding, Landslides Kill at Least 25 People in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (AP) –The death toll from landslides and floods that hit the central and southern Philippines after a summer tropical depression unleashed days of pounding rain has risen to at least 43, with 28 others missing, officials said Tuesday.

More than 100 villagers were injured in landslides in the hard-hit city of Baybay in central Leyte province over the weekend and early Monday, officials said. Army, police and other rescuers were struggling with mud and unstable heaps of earth and debris to find the missing villagers.

Thirty-six of the dead were recovered from the landslides that hit six Baybay villages, military and local officials said. Seven other people drowned in floodwaters in the central provinces of Samar and Negros Oriental and southern Davao de Oro and Davao Oriental provinces.

“We are saddened by this dreadful incident that caused an unfortunate loss of lives and destruction of properties,” said army brigade commander Col. Noel Vestuir, who was helping oversee the search and rescue.

Three other storm-related deaths were reported by the government’s main disaster-response agency in the southern provinces of Davao de Oro and Davao Oriental.

“In one village, a landslide occurred and other victims, unfortunately, were also swept away by the surge of water,” Collado told the DZBB radio network. “There were at least six missing but there could be more.”

Nearly 200 floods were reported in different areas in central and southern provinces over the weekend, displacing about 30,000 families, some of which were moved to emergency shelters, officials said.

Coast guard, police and firefighters rescued some villagers in flooded communities, including some who were trapped on their roofs. In central Cebu city, schools and work were suspended Monday and Mayor Michael Rama declared a state of calamity to allow the rapid release of emergency funds.

At least 20 storms and typhoons batter the Philippines each year, mostly during the rainy season that begins around June. Some storms have hit even during the scorching summer months in recent years.

The disaster-prone Southeast Asian nation also lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where many of the world’s volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur.

About the photo: In this handout photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, residents are evacuated by rescuers in a flooded village in Panitan, Panay island, Philippines on Tuesday April 12, 2022. Heavy rains caused by a summer tropical depression killed at least several people in the central and southern Philippines, mostly due to landslides, officials said Monday. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)