Filipino rescuers are trying to reach residents still stranded by floods on Thursday, as torrential rains caused by tropical storm Trami submerged entire villages and killed more than 20 people.
Trami made landfall northeast of the main island of Luzon, after causing severe damage in the region south of the capital.
At 8 a.m. (0000 GMT), the eye of the storm was passing over the northern interior mountains of the Philippines with maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers (59 miles) per hour, according to the National Weather Service.
Trami is expected to leave the island within the next 12 hours.
Schools and administrations are closed throughout the northern Philippines.
“At 7 a.m., we counted 20 dead (in the Bicol region).” Regional police chief Brigadier General Andre Dizon told reporters on Thursday, adding that the figure was not yet final. “Most of them died from drowning or were buried by landslides. »
In the towns of Naga and Nabua, about 400 km south of Manila, rescuers used boats to reach residents sheltering on their roofs.
“They called for help through posts (Facebook) and that’s how we found out” Bicol regional police spokeswoman Luisa Calubaquib told AFP.
On Wednesday, at least 32,000 people had to evacuate as the storm headed towards the northeast coast of Luzon, the country’s main island.
A month’s worth of rainfall was reportedly dumped on the region in the span of 24 hours, mainly in Camarines Sur province and the town of Legazpi in Albay province, Lorie Dela Cruz of the official weather office told Reuters. the AFP.
On Thursday, rescuers were searching for a fisherman who went missing when a boat sank in Bulacan province, west of Manila, the local disaster agency told AFP.
“The rescues were difficult because the wind was violent and caused a strong current”said Geraldine Martinez, relief officer in the municipality of Obando, Bulacan.
The day before, 11 people drowned in floods in the town of Naga, according to local police chief Erwin Rebellion.
In Quezon province, southeast of the capital, an elderly woman drowned, and a toddler was also killed after falling into a flooded canal, police said.
Another person was killed by a falling tree branch, the Manila civil protection office said.
The Philippines is regularly hit by storms or typhoons, causing damage and dozens of deaths each year.
