Deluge in rain-soaked Philippines kills over 160
MANILA, Philippines — Driving rain on the heels of back-to-back storms triggered dozens of landslides across the northern Philippines on Friday, burying more than 160 people, washing away villages and leaving almost an entire province under water.
The latest deluge brought the death toll to nearly 500 from the Philippines’ worst flooding in 40 years after storms started pounding the country’s north on Sept. 26.
More than 160 people were killed in landslides in Benguet and Mountain Province along the Cordillera mountain range, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) north of Manila, officials said. Residents were jolted awake by the rumbling sound of mudslides and floodwaters tearing apart the saturated soil and washing away homes.
Rescuers wading through sloshy mud from nearby Bagiuo city retrieved at least 162 bodies, bringing the total deaths in the two provinces since Typhoon Parma struck on Saturday to 174, said regional disaster relief officer Rex Manuel. At least 48 others were missing and 120 were pulled out alive.
Nearly the entire village of Kibungan in Benguet was buried under tons of mud and debris, Manuel said. Some 45 bodies were recovered so far. Rescuers used pulleys and cables to transport the dead they retrieved from piles of rubble.
TV footage showed the bodies arriving in black bags in a hall in Baguio, where relatives wept after recognizing their loved ones.
“There was a sudden rumble above us, and then the houses at the bottom were gone, including them,” said Melody Coronel, pointing to the relatives she found among the dead.
In Mountain Province, 15 bodies were retrieved while 20 people were missing from a village in Tadian township, Manuel said.
Landslides blocked the roads to the mountain city of Baguio, where 48 people died, in the heart of the Cordillera region. The only way to reach the isolated, mountain communities was by foot, and military helicopters could not fly yet because of fog and rain, said Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres of the government’s disaster-relief agency.
“We are focused on rescue at this time,” he said. “It is raining nonstop in the Cordilleras.”
About 100 landslides have struck the region since the weekend.
In Benguet province’s Buyagan village, only three out of about 100 houses remained visible after Thursday night’s landslide buried most structures there. Some 50 residents were saved and seven bodies recovered, Manuel said.
As the mountain region struggled with the rescue operation, farther to the south, in Pangasinan province, pounding rains prompted authorities to discharge excess water from swollen dams. The deluge caused the Agno River and surrounding dikes to burst their banks, inundating 30 out of 48 towns, a scene of mayhem that sent residents onto rooftops, scrambling for safety.
Better weather allowed the Philippine coast guard and U.S. Navy helicopters to pluck people marooned on the roofs and treetops.
In Rosales, also in Pangasinan province, the biggest mall in town was flooded by neck-deep waters that sent appliances floating and smashing through glass panels. Some residents were seen carrying some of the goods away.
About 1,000 people remained stranded in the mall as night fell Friday. Others whose houses were flooded retreated to higher floors or were staying with relatives and neighbors.
Forecasters said Parma, which was downgraded to a tropical depression, was still lingering off the northeastern coast. It hit land more than a week ago, the second major storm to drench the country in two weeks. Tropical Storm Ketsana, which struck Sept. 26, left 337 people dead, most of them in and around Manila.
The government’s disaster relief agency said it had asked the U.S. Embassy to redeploy hundreds of American troops from the massive cleanup in Manila to the flood-hit areas in the north. The U.S. government doubled its aid pledges to $4.3 million.
Two U.S. Navy ships were positioning in the Lingayen Gulf in Pangasinan to provide helicopters and rubber boats for the rescue mission, said U.S. Marine Capt. Jorge Escatell.
Six U.S. Navy CH-46 transport helicopters were on standby at Clark Air Base and two more were at a Philippine military camp in nearby Tarlac province, Torres said.
Associated Press writers Teresa Cerojano and Oliver Teves contributed to this report.
Related News
75 dead in Philippine landslidesOctober 8th, 2009 MANILA - At least 75 people were killed in a series of landslides brought about by days of heavy rains in the northern Philippines, officials said Friday. Seventy two remained missing in the landslides, which occurred in Benguet and Mountain provinces since Thursday.
Panamanian freighter sends out SOS near Taiwan during typhoonOctober 5th, 2009 TAIPEI - Taiwan's coast guard are searching for a Panamanian freighter which sent out an SOS near Taiwan during Typhoon Parma, the Taipei Rescue and Coordination Centre said Monday. "The search for the Panamanian freighter is still going on," a duty officer at the rescue centre said by phone without giving details because he was not authorised to speak to the press.
Typhoon Parma approaches TaiwanOctober 3rd, 2009 TAIPEI - Typhoon Parma approached Taiwan Sunday morning after slamming the northern Philippines and killing at least three people there. Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau issued a land warning Sunday morning as the storm charged into the Bashih Channel separating Taiwan and the Philippines.
At least 4 killed, 20 missing as heavy rains trigger mudslides and floods in SicilyOctober 2nd, 2009 4 killed by mudslides in Sicily amid strong rainsROME — At least four people are dead and 20 missing after a river of mud flooded parts of the Sicilian city of Messina as the area was hit by heavy rains. Officials said at least 100 people fled their homes when violent mudslides collapsed several buildings and swept away cars during a rain storm that lasted through Thursday night and early Friday.
170,000 evacuated as Typhoon Ketsana approaches Vietnam's central coastSeptember 30th, 2009 170,000 evacuated as typhoon approaches VietnamHANOI, Vietnam — Authorities in Vietnam have evacuated 170,000 people as Typhoon Ketsana bears down on the country's central coast. The storm killed 240 people in the Philippines.
China reports 9 dead, 9 missing in wake of Typhoon KoppuSeptember 17th, 2009 China reports 9 dead, 9 missing from typhoonBEIJING — Chinese state media say nine people have been killed and nine others are missing after Typhoon Koppu roared into the southern province of Guangdong. The Xinhua News Agency said in a brief report Thursday that the deaths were caused by landslides, collapsed homes and flooding caused by torrential rains.
Taiwan president says 500 killed by floods, mudslides unleashed by Typhoon MorakotAugust 14th, 2009 Taiwan president says typhoon has killed about 500TAIPEI, Taiwan — Floods and mudslides unleashed by Typhoon Morakot last weekend have killed about 500 people on the island, Taiwan's president said Friday as he called on rescue crews to step up their efforts. Morakot destroyed the homes of 7,000 people and caused agricultural and property damage in excess of 50 billion New Taiwan dollars ($1.5 billion), President Ma Ying-jeou said at a national security conference, the first called since he took office 15 months ago.
Taiwan races to save survivors in storm-ravaged mountains; villagers evacuated from burst lakeAugust 13th, 2009 Taiwan races to save typhoon survivorsCISHAN, Taiwan — Hundreds of villagers scurried from their homes minutes before floodwaters burst an embankment Thursday, as the military airlifted survivors from remote villages devastated in mudslides during last weekend's typhoon. The military sent 4,000 new troops to join more than 10,000 soldiers already working to save thousands of survivors stranded in several villages in the island's south, the Defense Ministry said.
Taiwan's military sends 4,000 more soldiers to join relief work in storm-ravaged mountainsAugust 13th, 2009 Taiwan sends soldiers to hunt for storm survivorsCISHAN, Taiwan — Taiwan's military airlifted survivors from remote mountain villages devastated by mudslides triggered by last weekend's typhoon, and announced Thursday it was sending another 4,000 soldiers to help with the rescue effort. The new troops will join more than 10,000 soldiers already racing to save thousands of survivors stranded in several villages in the island's south, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
1,000 found alive near 3 Taiwan villages devastated by typhoon; rains hamper their rescueAugust 12th, 2009 1,000 Taiwanese found alive after Typhoon MorakotCISHAN, Taiwan — Taiwan's military says it has found nearly 1,000 people alive in the area around three remote villages devastated by Typhoon Morakot, which pummeled the island over the weekend. Most of the survivors were found Tuesday, but relief operations spokesman Major General Hu Jui-chou said a few dozen more were spotted Wednesday in Shiao Lin, the tiny community destroyed by a catastrophic mudslide.
TV says Taiwan helicopter with 6 aboard crashes during typhoon rescue missionAugust 11th, 2009 TV says Taiwan helicopter crashes during rescueTAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwanese TV stations say a helicopter carrying five crew members and a nurse has crashed into a mountain while on a mission to rescue villagers whose homes were destroyed by a powerful typhoon. The reports say the helicopter was spotted lying in a valley after crashing Tuesday.
Taiwan helicopter crashes during rescue of villagers affected by typhoonAugust 11th, 2009 Taiwan helicopter crashes during typhoon rescueTAIPEI, Taiwan — An official says a helicopter with three crew aboard has crashed into a mountain while on a mission to rescue villagers whose homes were destroyed by a powerful typhoon. Disaster official Chen Chung-hsien says the helicopter crashed Tuesday in bad weather while flying to Wutai, a mountainous region in southern Pingtung county.
Philippines' most active volcano Mayon shows signs of unrest; volcanic earthquakes increasingJuly 10th, 2009 Philippines' most active volcano restive againMANILA, Philippines — Scientists say the Philippines' most active volcano is rumbling again while emitting steam and a strong glow at the summit crater that can be seen with the naked eye. State volcanologists say the frequency of volcanic earthquakes has increased on Mayon signifying the possible movement of magma below the surface that could lead to ash explosions and eventually eruption.
Landslides kill 26 people in PhilippinesMay 19th, 2009 MANILA - Twenty-six people have died in landslides caused by the incessant rains in southern Philippines, officials said Tuesday. The authorities have urged the residents in the affected areas to move to safer places.
36 dead, 12 missing in Philippines typhoonMay 10th, 2009 MANILA - The death toll in a typhoon that pummelled northern Philippines has reached 36, with 12 still missing, the government said Sunday. More than 140,000 people were affected by typhoon Chan-Hom in 11 provinces in the northern Philippines, including Manila.
Loading ...