LOOK: Death toll in Philippine mudslides, flooding exceeds 100

Published Dec 23, 2017

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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. 

Reuters

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