13 dead, 23 missing due to Philippines floods

Manila, Dec 27 (EFE).- At least 13 people have died and 23 remain missing as a result of severe flooding that has hit the southern and eastern Philippines since Saturday, the agency for natural disasters reported on Tuesday.

In its latest update, the national emergency team indicated that some 45,337 people are displaced from their homes by the floods, which affect more than 160,000 residents of multiple towns.

The southern island of Mindanao and the southeast of Luzon, the most populated island in the archipelago, have been most affected by the heavy rains since the weekend, according to the Philippine Weather Service.

In the province of Misamis Oriental, in the north of Mindanao, there were seven fatalities, five injured and three missing, said the National Council for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRMC).

In Bicol province, in the southeast of Luzon, three people were killed and eight are still missing, according to NDRRMC.

The rain has now stopped and the water has begun to recede, which was helping emergency teams on Tuesday search for the missing.

The disaster marred Christmas celebrations in Asia’s most Catholic nation, where hundreds of thousands of Filipinos travel from urban centers to the provinces during the holidays.

Hit by between 15-20 cyclones each year, the Philippines is ranked among the nations most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. EFE

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