© 2023 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY · WNPR
WPKT · WRLI-FM · WEDW-FM · Public Files Contact
ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Search efforts intensify as Philippine death toll from floods rises to nearly 60

Residents are evacuated by rescuers in a flooded village in Panitan, Panay island, Philippines on Tuesday. Heavy rains caused by a summer tropical depression killed at least a few dozen people in the central and southern Philippines, mostly due to landslides, officials said.
Philippine Coast Guard via AP
Residents are evacuated by rescuers in a flooded village in Panitan, Panay island, Philippines on Tuesday. Heavy rains caused by a summer tropical depression killed at least a few dozen people in the central and southern Philippines, mostly due to landslides, officials said.

Updated April 13, 2022 at 1:28 AM ET

As search and rescue efforts increased with the arrival of equipment, the death toll has risen to at least 56, with 28 others missing, after a summer tropical depression that unleashed days of pounding rain caused landslides and floods in the central and southern Philippines, officials said Wednesday.

Nearly 200 villagers were injured mostly in the landslides in the hard-hit city of Baybay in central Leyte province over the weekend and early Monday, officials said. Army, police and other rescuers were struggling with mud and unstable heaps of earth and debris to find the missing villagers.

More rescuers and heavy equipment, including backhoes, arrived in the landslide-hit villages in Baybay. Its mayor, Jose Carlos Cari, said the weather cleared Wednesday, allowing the search and rescue work to go full force.

"We're looking for so many more missing people," Cari said and added that authorities would do a recount to determine how many villagers were really missing and believed buried in the landslides.

Rescuers evacuate a resident to safer ground at Abuyog, Leyte province, in the central Philippines on Sunday.
/ Philippine Coast Guard via AP
/
Philippine Coast Guard via AP
Rescuers evacuate a resident to safer ground at Abuyog, Leyte province, in the central Philippines on Sunday.

Forty-seven of the dead were recovered from the landslides that hit six Baybay villages, military and local officials said. Nine other people drowned elsewhere in floodwaters in four central and southern provinces, they said.

"We are saddened by this dreadful incident that caused an unfortunate loss of lives and destruction of properties," said army brigade commander Col. Noel Vestuir, who was helping oversee the search and rescue.

Coast guard, police and firefighters rescued some villagers Monday in flooded central communities, including some who were trapped on their roofs. In central Cebu city, schools and work were suspended Monday and Mayor Michael Rama declared a state of calamity to allow the rapid release of emergency funds.

A photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard shows a landslide area at Baybay City, Leyte province, central Philippines, on Monday.
/ Philippine Coast Guard via AP
/
Philippine Coast Guard via AP
A photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard shows a landslide area at Baybay City, Leyte province, central Philippines, on Monday.

At least 20 storms and typhoons batter the Philippines each year, mostly during the rainy season that begins around June. Some storms have hit even during the scorching summer months in recent years.

The disaster-prone Southeast Asian nation also lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where many of the world's volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content