11 people killed in landslides, flash floods in Philippines

Manila - At least 11 people were killed in landslides and flash floods triggered by several days of heavy rains in the Philippines, officials said Tuesday. The National Disaster Coordinating Council said more than 3,000 people have been displaced by the rains brought by Tropical Storm Lando.

Several cities in the eastern, central and southern Philippines have been flooded.

Five of the victims were buried when a mine tunnel collapsed Monday in Placer town in Surigao del Norte province, 965 kilometres south of Manila.

Two people were also killed in a landslide that buried several houses in Surigao City while three people drowned in a swollen river on the outskirts of Iligan City. A 10-year-old boy also drowned in flash floods on the edge of Cebu City.

The weather bureau said Lando with maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 85 kilometres per hour was moving west to Palawan Island at 19 kilometres per hour.

The bureau warned residents in low-lying areas and near mountain slopes to be on alert against landslides and flash floods. It also urged residents in coastal areas to be alert against big waves.

-EARTHtimes.org

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