Flashfloods, landslides swamp Rizal towns; 6 killed, 5 missing

At least six people, including an 80-year-old woman, died while five others were reported missing after flashfloods and landslides swamped dozens of homes in Rizal province Monday night, officials said. Monette Martin, assistant provincial social welfare worker for Rizal, said three of the fatalities were from Antipolo City and three others from Teresa town. No less than five people remained missing as of posting time. Martin said at least two siblings were missing in San Jose villages in Antipolo, and four more in Inarawan villages, she said. However, radio station dzBB said Len-Len Fidel, 18, of San Jose village, also of Antipolo City, was earlier reported missing but already surfaced and had gone back home. Another report quoted the police as saying that three people were missing in Antipolo City. "I hope and I pray we don't see any more additions to the list of fatalities," Martin said in an interview on dzBB radio. Eight subdivisions in Cainta town were submerged, while over 1,000 families in Antipolo City's Cogeo district were swamped by the floods over the evening. Although the waters have reportedly receeded in many areas in Rizal, the police said that at least three people remain missing as of Tuesday morning. The flashfloods started at 8 p.m. Monday at Angono River and spread to San Roque and San Isidro villages in Angono town. Evacuees in Cainta were taken to a local basketball court, while damage to property in Antipolo City reportedly reached millions of pesos. Worse than Milenyo "We never expected this. It is worse than the damage caused by typhoon Milenyo. At least last week we had only damaged trees and posts. But now we lost lives and many are missing and feared dead. To me this is worse than Milenyo," Rizal governor Casimiro Ynares Jr lamented in an interview on dzEC radio Tuesday morning. Martin identified two of the victims from Antipolo City as Agustin Macapanas, 58, and Fidel Pimentel, 4. Macapanas, a resident of Dalig village in the same city, died after a concrete wall collapsed and crushed him. One of the injured was identified as Mary Jane Loyola of Inarawan village of Antipolo City. Still missing were Teodoro Inorasa, 67, of Dalig village and Wendell dela Peña, 17, of San Roque village. Senior Superintendent Freddie Panen, Rizal provincial police chief, said the body of 80-year-old woman Corazon de Oro as was retrieved Monday night in Teresa. He said another man was washed away when he got down from his motorcycle to help push a stalled vehicle and fell into an open drainage. "We presume he fell into the river. We are still trying to look for him," he said in an interview on dzEC radio. Meanwhile, more than 900 evacuated following a landslide in Teresa town. Panen said even the 50 on-the-job policemen were tapped to join search and relief operations. However, even local police were overwhelmed as the floodwaters even entered their patrol vehicle. "The water seeped into the vehicle floor," Panen said. He also said a bridge in Langhaya Padilla near Marcos Highway was closed to traffic Monday night after its structure was weakened because of the flash floods. Some 22 shanties were swept away when the flashfloods hit Teresa town. Floodwaters were reportedly knee-high as of Tuesday morning. The flashfloods also affected Angono, Taytay, Binangonan, Ala and Cainta in Rizal. Commuters were stranded in Cainta Junction while subdivisions in Brookside, Village East, and Bayanihan Village were also affected. Flashfloods likewise extended to Ortigas Extension.-GMANews.TV