MANILA, OCT 25 – Philippine rescue workers waded through floodwaters today to rescue residents still trapped on the roofs of their homes as Tropical Storm Trami moved out to sea after killing at least 76 people.
Tens of thousands are still homeless after fleeing floods triggered by heavy rains in just two days in some areas.
“Many are still trapped on the roofs of their houses and are asking for help,” Andre Dizon, police director for the hard-hit Bicol region, told AFP. “We hope the flood will recede today as the rain has stopped.”
Access to affected areas remains a major issue for rescuers today, especially in Bicol, President Ferdinand Marcos said during a press briefing.
“There was a landslide in an area where there had never been a landslide before, so I think the ground is completely saturated, the water cannot flow anywhere else,” he said.
Naga and Legazpi cities reported “many casualties but we still haven’t been able to enter,” Marcos added.
As Trami moved out of the Philippines early in the morning, heading west through the South China Sea, the storm’s death toll rose as new reports of casualties came in.
In Batangas province south of the capital Manila, police staff sergeant Nelson Cabuso told AFP six unidentified bodies were found in the village of Sampaloc.
Five more people were killed in flash floods in the coastal village of Subic Ilaya, police corporal Alvin de Leon said, bringing the death toll to 76, according to the tally. AFP from police and disaster officials.
Government offices and schools across the main island of Luzon remained closed today, and a storm surge warning remained in effect along the west coast, with waves as high as two meters possible. – AFP
