40 persons reported missing after river in Cavite overflows

At least 40 residents were missing and feared dead Friday morning after a river near their subdivision overflowed and washed away at least 17 houses in General Trias town in Cavite. Vic Aguilar, homeowners’ association president of the Sunny Brook I Subdivision in Barangay San Francisco, General Trias, said the river overflowed at the height of typhoon "Milenyo." "The water was very high and it seeped into our houses. Many of our houses have been filled with mud, though at least 17 other houses were washed away at the height of the typhoon Thursday," he said in an interview with dzRH radio. It was unfortunate, he said, that most of the residents had already evacuated their houses when they saw that the river was already overflowing. Aguilar said local government officials in the town were still conducting search-and-retrieval operations as of Friday morning. SPO2 Quintin Trinidad of the local police said the families of 18 residents had formally sought police assistance by filing "missing persons" reports. "'Yung iba nagbabakasakali na baka nasa kapitbahay (The others were still hoping that their relatives are with neighbors)," Trinidad said. Meanwhile, dzRH radio reported that many areas of Cavite were still without power and electricity as of Friday morning. Even cell phone service was spotty in many areas, it said. - GMANews.TV