6 dead in Mindanao floods, landslides

Floods and landslides triggered by torrential rain have killed six people in the Philippines, with one other person missing, rescuers said.

Rain began pounding wide areas of Mindanao, the country's second-largest island, last weekend, causing floods and landslides that officials said sent thousands fleeing to emergency shelters.

The hardest-hit areas were the mountainous municipality of Maragusan, which recorded 23 landslides since Sunday, and the adjacent town of New Bataan where more than 10,000 people were evacuated from flooded homes.

Three people were killed and a fourth was missing in the Maragusan landslides, its municipal disaster officer Romeo Tublag told AFP.

"Our town is surrounded by mountains so landslides are an ever-present threat. It's been raining almost daily here," Tublag said.

In New Bataan, a landslide killed a man while a woman was swept away and killed by floodwaters and another man electrocuted outside his flooded house, disaster official Aeona Armocilla told AFP.

Based on the report of Davao de Oro Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), the fatalities were identified as the following:

New Bataan

• Mimai Pagantupan
• Junjun Romagos

Maragusan

• Jerlyn Lada
• Virginia Buhian
• Andoy Ananias

Pantukan

• Marcilla Bantasan

A person was reported as missing in Pantukan, who was identified as Vicencio Mahinay. He was swept by a strong current, according to the PDRRMO.

Swollen rivers flooded three villages, forcing the evacuation of 10,100 residents, Armocilla said, adding that it was still raining in the area late Thursday.

Floods also hit the municipalities of Bunawan and Veruela in nearby Agusan del Sur province, with more than 5,000 people sheltering in evacuation centers, provincial disaster official Alexis Cabardo told AFP.

In its latest report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said 19,097 people or 4,840 families were affected by the effects of the trough of a low pressure area in Davao Region.

Of the affected population, 12,303 people or 3,014 families were staying in 56 evacuation centers while 33 individuals or nine families were taking shelter in other places.

Water supply problems were reported in two areas.

At least two seaports in Davao Occidental suspended operations due to the bad weather.

According to the NDRRMC, 46 areas also suspended classes while 26 suspended work schedules.—Agence France-Presse, with a report from Joviland Rita/ KBK/ VDV, GMA Integrated News