Death toll in flood-related accidents in Philippines rises to 14

MANILA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) — The death toll from flooding and landslides triggered by tropical storm Yagi in the Philippines has risen to 14, the government said Tuesday.
Edgar Posadas, spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said 12 deaths were reported in Luzon Island and central Philippines.
Another two deaths were from a province southwest of Manila, while four people were still missing in a province east of Manila.
The victims, including a pregnant woman and children, died from drowning, landslides, electrocution or other accidents due to the impact of the tropical storm.
Since the weekend, torrential rains triggered by Yagi and the southwest monsoon have caused massive flooding in the Philippine capital Manila and other parts of the archipelago. Landslides swallowed homes and buried villages.
The Philippine weather agency said Yagi intensified on Tuesday, blowing westward of the northern Philippines’ Ilocos Norte province at 25 km per hour, packing 85 km per hour winds and gusts up to 105 km per hour.
It said that Yagi was going to leave the Philippines on Wednesday morning, saying that Yagi is forecast to intensify throughout the forecast period and may reach severe tropical storm category in the next 12 hours and typhoon category on Thursday.
About 20 typhoons lash the Philippines yearly. ■