Dozens dead as Storm Agaton causes landslides in the Philippines

At least 25 people in central and southern provinces have died, police say

Residents wade through a flooded street after heavy rains brought about by tropical storm Agaton in Abuyog town, Leyte province, southern Philippines. All photos: AFP

This undated handout photograph received from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on April 11, 2022 shows coast guard and police personnel evacuating a resident from a flooded area in Abuyog town, Leyte province, southern Philippines, following heavy rains brought about by Tropical storm Agaton. (Photo by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) / AFP) / -----EDITORS NOTE --- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD (PCG) " - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Motorists make their way along a flooded road in the southern Philippines.

Roads and houses are submerged by floodwater in Abuyog.

A resident wades through a flooded pathway next to his house in Abuyog.

A house lies partly underwater after tropical storm Agaton swept through the southern Philippines.

Coastguards and police help a resident to safety after severe flooding in Abuyog, southern Philippines.

Agaton, which had sparked widespread flooding, was followed by tropical storm Megi, which triggered landslides that have killed scores of people.

Heavy rains caused by a tropical storm have killed at least 25 people in the central and southern Philippines.

Twenty-two people died in landslides in four villages in central Leyte province on Sunday and Monday, according to Baybay city police chief Lt Col Joemen Collado. At least six other people were reported missing in the landslides and a search was under way, he said.

Three other storm-related deaths were reported by the government’s disaster response agency in the southern provinces of Davao de Oro and Davao Oriental.

“In one village, a landslide occurred and other victims, unfortunately, were also swept away by the surge of water,” Lt Col Collado told the DZBB radio network.

“There were at least six missing but there could be more,” he said.

Nearly 200 floods were reported in different areas in central and southern provinces at the weekend. These displaced about 30,000 families, some of whom were moved to emergency shelters, officials said.

Coastguards, police and firefighters rescued some villagers in flooded communities, including some who were trapped on their roofs.

In central Cebu city, schools and work were suspended on Monday and Mayor Michael Rama declared a state of emergency to allow the rapid release of vital funds.

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 nation also lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire where many of the world’s volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur.