Local authorities said Thursday that a strong tropical storm in the Philippines triggered widespread flooding and landslides that killed at least 24 people.
More than 150,000 people were forced to flee their homes after Tropical Storm Trami – known locally as Tropical Cyclone Kristine – made landfall on the country’s main island, Luzon, in the northeastern part of the archipelago.
Drowning and landslides cause most deaths
Trami landed near the town of Divilacan in Isabela Province. Schools and businesses in the path of the weather system were ordered to close.
The eye of the storm passed over the mountainous interior of the northern Philippines at 8 a.m. (0000 GMT) on Thursday, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 95 kilometers (59 miles) per hour, according to the country’s weather service.
The storm caused heavy rains and floodingPhoto: Philippine Coast Guard via AP/picture alliance
Most of the storm’s deaths over the past few days were caused by floods and landslides in the central Bicol region, southeast of Manila, including Naga City.
“We have 20 dead (in the entire Bicol region),” regional police chief Brigadier General Andre Dizon told reporters on Thursday, adding that the final number was yet to be determined.
Flash floods swept motorcycles and trash into homes Photo: John Michael Magdasoc/ASSOCITED PRESS/picture Alliance
Villages flooded, rescue operation underway
Members of the Philippine Coast Guard and military are involved in rescue operations in affected areas.
Dizon said about 1,500 police officers have also been deployed for disaster relief efforts.
Thousands of villagers stranded in floodwaters were rescued by government forces, but many more had to be rescued in the Bicol region on Thursday, including some from their rooftops.
“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.
“We are looking for ways to provide food and water to those who were trapped but could not be evacuated immediately.”
The weather service warned of heavy to intense rainfall, flooding, landslides and storm surges in areas to the north.
The Philippines experiences an average of about 20 tropical storms per year, which often produce heavy rain, strong winds and landslides.
kb/wmr (Reuters, AP, AFP)
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