[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1 delay=10]

Landslides and floods triggered by storm leave at least 29 dead, 10 missing in Philippines

By on December 30, 2014


NASA's Aqua satellite captured this image of Tropical Storm Jangmi over the central and southern Philippines on Dec. 29 at 5:05 UTC. NASA / NRL.
NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of Tropical Storm Jangmi over the central and southern Philippines on Dec. 29 at 5:05 UTC. NASA / NRL.

MANILA, Philippines—Flash floods and landslides triggered by Tropical Storm Jangmi left at least 29 people dead and 10 missing in the Philippines, including in areas still recovering from last year’s Typhoon Haiyan, officials said Tuesday.

Jangmi, packing winds of 65 kilometres (40 miles) per hour and gusts of 80 kph (50 mph), dumped heavy rains Monday on southern Mindanao Island, where floods destroyed bridges and highways, sending thousands of residents to evacuation centres.

The storm then pushed its way through eastern and central islands, where most of the deaths occurred Tuesday.

The government weather bureau said that as of Tuesday afternoon, the eye of the storm was 108 kilometres (67 miles) southwest of central Iloilo City, moving west at 19 kph (12 mph) toward western Palawan Island.

Mayor Stephanie Uy-Tan said 12 people died when a landslide buried two vans and six houses near a mountainside highway in eastern Catbalogan City. She said voices could still be heard from one of the vans and that rescue efforts were ongoing.

Olive Luces, a regional civil defence official, said 10 members of a family died after a creek-side house where they had gathered was washed away by flash floods in central Cebu province. Three other people were missing in the same town.

In eastern Leyte province’s Tanauan town, which was devastated last year by Typhoon Haiyan, army rescuers retrieved five bodies from a house buried by landslide.

[bsa_pro_ad_space id=2 delay=10]