Floods, mudslides kill eight, displace 60,000 in Mindanao

Heavy rains triggered flashfloods and landslides in at least four provinces in Mindanao, killing at least eight people and displacing over 10,000 families or 60,000 individuals. Five people died after heaps of mud and rocks crashed down on buses traversing a highway in Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur, while another was killed when muslides hit a house in the same town. Two others were also killed in a landslide in Kapatagan town in Lanao del Norte. Reports said mudslides in Aurora town pummeled three commuter buses and pushed one over a cliff. Seven passengers were injured in the fall. Reports said a pregnant woman, who sought refuge inside a church in Anonang village, was also killed. The Municipal Disaster Coordinating Council of Aurora placed three villages in the town under a state of calamity as floods rose to 1.6 meters on the highway. Passengers were trapped inside a bus, which was traveling from Iligan City to Pagadian City. Rescue teams from the local government of Zamboanga del Sur and the Philippine Army were dispatched to the area. In Sultan Kudarat, the regional Office of Civil Defense said floods displaced 8,149 families in 10 villages. A child reportedly succumbed to diarrhea while in an evacuation center. In Maguindanao, OCD officials reported that 1,055 families left six villages in Rajah Buaya town because of heavy rains and flooding. On the roof In Lanao del Norte, landslides and rising floodwaters destroyed houses in six villages in Kapatagan town and displaced over 736 residents or 246 families. The rising waters forced families in Kapatagan to climb on rooftops. The village of Balilis in the same town was the worst hit. Reports said 47 houses were covered by rocks and mud. Surging floodwaters washed away 14 houses. A 10-year old boy was injured after a boulder fell on the family's house. "Some 700 evacuees from three barangays (villages) were brought to the Kapatagan gymnasium, which can accommodate up to 2,000 persons," Kapatagan Vice Mayor Cristy Atay said in a radio interview. Evacuation Apart from residents of Balilis, people from the villages of Santa Cruz, Concepcion, Donggoan, Margos and Poblacion were also taken to safer grounds. The town's Central Elementary School, the Kapatagan National High School and the St. Francis Xavier Academy in Poblacion village were transformed into evacuation centers. In Kampo Islam village in Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Lanao del Norte, an Asian utility vehicle was crushed in a landslide. Farmlands in the affected areas were submerged in floodwaters. Local government officials said the extent of the damage could easily reached up to millions of pesos. Over 170 hectares of rice lands in Maguindanao alone were destroyed. Cry for help Atay appealed to the national government to send relief goods. "Any kind of relief goods will be appreciated by the local government," she said. Loida Calit, a civil defense coordinator in Lanao del Norte, said at least 700 residents were brought to the Kapatagan gymnasium since Sunday night. In Pagadian City, Mayor Samuel Co reported that 73 houses and two elementary classrooms in White Beach village were destroyed. Fishponds and at least 36 houses were destroyed in Parang town in Maguindanao. In Zamboanga Sibugay Province, at least seven houses were destroyed in Mabuhay town after big waves hit the coastal villages. No casualties were reported. Last Thursday, two people died while three others were reported missing after a landslide hit Sarangani town in Davao del Sur. The victims were all members of the Dawa family. Sarangani town Mayor Jerry Cawa declared a state of calamity in the area before the incident, which was caused by a tornado and continuous heavy rains. -GMANews.TV