MANILA, Oct 31, (AFP) - Typhoon Mirinae smashed through the Philippines overnight, killing at least one person and worsening floods in areas that were struggling to recover from recent deadly storms, officials said Saturday.
One man was found dead and his one-year-old baby was missing after they were washed away while trying to cross an overflowing creek in a rural area on the outskirts of Manila, the nation's capital, the military said.
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| A resident places wooden reinforcement on the roof of his house as Typhoon Mirinae batters Bacoor town, south of Manila, October 31. REUTERS |
Another man was missing from a Manila slum district after his hut was washed away, said civil defence spokesman Ernesto Torres.
The typhoon, which had maximum winds of 185 kilometres (115 miles) an hour, was the third major storm to hit the Philippines main island of Luzon in just five weeks, with the previous two claiming more than 1,100 lives.
Tropical Storm Ketsana, which struck on September 26, caused massive flooding in Manila and outlying districts populated by more than a million people were expected to be remain flooded into the New Year even before Mirinae hit.
In Laguna province to the south of Manila that was one of the worst affected by Ketsana, people were again forced onto their rooftops on to escape floodwaters.
“Some people are on the roofs of their houses.”Navy and coast guard boats had been sent to the town to rescue people, according to Torres, who said Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro was heading to the area to check on the extent of flooding and damage. The highway to the town was covered by knee-high waters, preventing smaller vehicles from reaching it, according to an AFP photographer.
It also forced flights to be suspended on Saturday morning from Manila's international airport. |
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