Flash floods and landslides triggered by torrential rains in a southern Philippine province killed at least 72 people, leaving 14 others missing.
Most of the victims were swept away by rampaging floodwaters and drowned or were hit by debris-filled mudslides in three towns in hard-hit Maguindanao province, AP quoted the interior minister for a five-province Muslim autonomous region run by former guerrillas, Naguib Sinarimbo as saying.
The tropical storm, which was reported to have made landfall in the eastern Catanduanes province on Saturday, had maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometres (59 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 160 kph (99.4 mph).
The authorities have prohibited any travelling or family reunions in the proximity to sea areas on All Saints’ Day in the largely Roman Catholic nation.
All Saints’ Day is celebrated in honour of all the saints of the church.
About 20 typhoons and storms batter the Philippine archipelago each year. It is located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region along most of the Pacific Ocean rim where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur, making the nation one of the world’s most disaster-prone.
About 20 typhoons and storms batter the Philippine archipelago each year. It is located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region along most of the Pacific Ocean rim where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur, making the nation one of the world’s most disaster-prone, reported the AP.
