Death toll hits 72 as Tropical Storm Nalgae drenches Philippines | News

Maguindanao province has been hardest hit by rain-induced floods and mudslides.

The Philippines has now recorded 72 deaths from Tropical Storm Nalgae, which has brought flash floods and landslides to provinces in the south of the country, the country’s disaster agency said.

The tropical storm, which has maximum sustained winds of 95km (59 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 160kph (99.4 mph), made landfall in the eastern Catanduanes province early on Saturday.

Maguindanao province has been the hardest hit with 67 people reported dead so far, disaster agency spokesperson Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro told the DZMM radio station.

Two people were also killed in Sultan Kudarat, another two in South Cotabato, and other casualties were spread across the Visayas region in central Philippines, he said.

Another 33 have been injured and 14 people are missing, he added.

Storm Nalgae will bring heavy and at times torrential rains over the capital, Manila, and nearby provinces on Saturday as it cuts through the main Luzon island and heads to the South China Sea, the state weather agency said in its latest bulletin.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration warned on Saturday that Nalgae (known locally as Paeng) will continue to cause flooding and rain-induced landslides as it crosses the country.

TROPICAL CYCLONE BULLETIN NO. 15
Severe Tropical Storm #PaengPH (NALGAE)
Issued at 5:00 AM, 29 Oct. 2022
Valid until next bulletin at 8:00 AM today

SEVERE TROPICAL STORM “PAENG” CROSSES THE SOUTHERN TIP OF CATANDUANES AND MAKES LANDFALL IN CAMARINES SUR pic.twitter.com/qBzuaEKg5t

— PAGASA-DOST (@dost_pagasa) October 28, 2022

Search and rescue teams pulled bodies from the water and thick mud after Nalgae triggered flooding and landslides in the south of the country on Friday.

“We are now gathering all rescue teams and will conduct a briefing before deployment,” Nasrullah Imam, disaster agency official at Maguindanao province, said on Saturday. “It’s no longer raining so this will help our search and operation.”

An average of 20 tropical storms hit the Philippines annually.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr sent condolences to those who had lost their lives in the storm and reassured the public that emergency services were deploying with supplies of food and other items to the hardest-hit areas.

Our prayers go to the lives lost in the Aklan, Capiz, and BARMM flash floods, and to those who continue to be gravely affected by this calamity.

— Bongbong Marcos (@bongbongmarcos) October 28, 2022