Death toll from Christmas weekend rains, floods climbs to 25

The Philippine Coast Guard conducted rescue operations and immediate evacuation for residents affected by the massive floods in Misamis Occidental. | Photo from Philippine Coast Guard

MANILA, Philippines — The death toll from shear line-induced rains and floods last weekend climbed rose from 13 to 25, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) announced on Wednesday.

Twenty  six individuals remain missing, nine were injured while at least 393,069 have been displaced by the heavy rainfall that triggered massive flooding in parts of the Visayas, Mindanao, and Southern Luzon as the nation welcomed Christmas Day, the NDRRMC added.

Most of these deaths were reported in Northern Mindanao, with 16. Five deaths were logged in the Bicol region and two each in Eastern Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula.

Damage to the agriculture sector was pegged at P63,874,087.2 while damage to infrastructure was estimated to be around P2,050,000, said the NDRRMC.

The municipality of Llorente, Eastern Samar, and Gingoong City, Misamis Oriental have likewise been palced under a state of calamity, according to the NDRRMC.

The shear line began to trigger rain over parts of Luzon and Visayas on December 18. A low-pressure area (LPA) also formed and its effects combined with the shear line.

By December 24, state meteorologists warned of heavy rain over the whole of Visayas and surrounding areas in Luzon and Mindanao.

As of Tuesday, a new LPA entered the Philippine area of responsibility and is forecast by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration to affect Visayas, Palawan, and parts of Mindanao.

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