Manila - A tropical storm in the southern
Philippines triggered mudslides and flash floods that killed
more than 100 people, while dozens are missing, police and
disaster officials said on Saturday.
The casualties, most of them caused late on Friday, were all
on the main southern island of Mindanao, they said, adding three
provinces were hardest hit.
Disaster officials said many residents had ignored warnings
to leave coastal areas and riverbanks.
"Many people were swept to the sea as flood waters quickly
rose due to the high tide," Manuel Luis Ochotorena, a disaster
agency official, said. "They never heeded the warnings. They
thought it was a weak storm but it dumped more rains."
Hundreds of kilometres to the east, army and emergency
workers were checking reports an entire village was buried by
mudslide in Tubod town in Lanao del Norte.
Ryan Cabus, a local official, said power and communication
lines to the area had been cut, complicating rescue efforts.
The weather bureau said the storm had gathered strength over
the Sulu Sea and was packing winds of up 80 kph (50 mph) and
moving west at 20 kph.
It was heading out over the sea by midday on Saturday and
would have moved clear of the Philippines by Monday, it said.
Emergency workers, soldiers, police and volunteers were
being mobilised to search for survivors, clear debris, and
restore power and communications.
More than 100 deaths were reported in various places
including 60 in Tubod, El Salvador and Munai towns in Lanao del
Norte province.
In Zamboanga del Norte province, police said 42 people had
been killed in the towns of Sibuco and Salug.
Three people were killed in Bukidnon province, while
politicians in Lanao del Sur province said 18 people had drowned
in flash floods there.
Sixty-four people were reported missing in floods and
landslides, according to a tally of reports form officials and
police.
The Philippines is battered by about 20 typhoons every year,
bringing death and destruction, usually to the poorest
communities.
Last week, 46 people were killed in the central Philippines
when a typhoon hit.
In 2013, super typhoon Haiyan killed nearly 8,000 people and
left 200,000 families homeless.