Boy drowns in Agusan river; death toll due to Mindanao flooding now 24

A one-year-old boy died in Agusan del Sur after he was swept away by a river swollen due to floods caused by a low pressure area off Mindanao, disaster officials said Wednesday.

In a report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Adrian Alpeche Malayag was “carried away by strong current of water” in the Taglatawan River in Bayugan City.

Malayag was one of the three latest fatalities in the Mindanao flooding, bringing the death toll to 24.

Also killed were 13-year-old Arlene Fuentes of Misamis Occidental, who died of drowning, and 31-year-old Richard Aljas, who was electrocuted.

Two more people were reported missing by the NDRRMC after a speedboat capsized during a rescue operation. They were identified as Merlinda Artajo and Lisa Moreno, both from Agusan del Sur.

In its update on Wednesday morning, PAGASA said CARAGA and Northern Mindanao, as well as parts of Bicol, Eastern and Central Visayas, will still experience rainshowers and thunderstorms due to the LPA.

For its part, the Philippine Coast Guard said 348 passengers remained stranded at ports in Central Visayas and Bicol. It said these included ports in Cebu and Camarines Sur.

On the other hand, air carrier Cebu Pacific cancelled at least eight domestic flights due to bad weather, dzBB reported. — Andreo Calonzo/KBK, GMA News