The number of people that died from drowning due to a flashflood that swamped some parts of southern Philippines has risen to 25, while 15 remain missing, a military official said Wednesday.
According to Maj. Jacob Thaddeus Obligado, commander of the Army's 10th Civil Military Operations Battalion, many of the fatalities are children. He said three of the fatalities are unidentified.
Obligado, whose unit is among those who responded to the calamity, said the flooding has affected about 25,000 families. Of the number, 1,475 families are staying in four evacuation centers.
Obligado said the downpour started around 10 p.m. local time and lasted for about three hours.
In a separate interview, Gretchin Cinco, deputy police spokesperson for Davao region, said the Davao city government had provided food, clothing and bedding materials to some 20,000 families in various evacuation centers in the city.
Cinco said the waters have already subsided in most of Talomo district which was badly hit by rampaging waters following several hours of heavy downpour late Tuesday.
"The waters rose to as high as ten feet, submerging homes in just minutes, leaving us residents trapped in rooftops," resident Jun Adlawan told Xinhua by phone, adding they were isolated for hours before rescuers arrived early Wednesday.
The destructive force of the floodwaters was so powerful that it swept cars, overturned parked trucks and pulled off trees, witnesses said.
The torrential rains caused Pangi and Balusong rivers to burst their banks, inundating the affected areas.
Cinco said floodwaters started to recede on Wednesday but roads from Talomo going up to the city's southern parts were still impassable to most types of vehicles.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte has placed the villages of Matina Pangi, Matina Crossing, Matina Aplaya and Talomo comprising Talomo district under state of calamity.
Editor: Mo Hong'e
English.news.cn 2011-06-29 18:11:44 FeedbackPrintRSS
MANILA, June 29 (Xinhua)
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