At least 45 people have died as a result of floods caused by heavy rains in the last day in the province of Maguindanao, in the southern Philippines, due to the passage of tropical storm ‘Nalgae’, according to the latest official balance, which lowers the previous figure of 72 deaths previously provided.
The Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRMC) has released the new figure after receiving new reports from the authorities of the Bangsamoro Auntonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (RABMM), as reported by the ‘Manila Times’ newspaper.
«We have now reduced the casualty figure to 45, 40 of which are from the RABMM, specifically Maguindanao, and the remaining five are from Region 12 –three dead–, Region 6 –two dead–,» said acting Defense Minister Jose Faustino Jr.
When questioned about the difference between the new data and the current ones, Faustino explained that the regional authorities had mistakenly increased the death toll based on figures from the municipal authorities.
He did confirm the 14 missing persons: 11 in Magindanao and three in Region 12 of Mindanao. The tropical storm, which made landfall in the early hours of Saturday morning, left another 33 people injured.
A total of 49,767 families are affected, totaling 184,161 people. Up to 2,615 families – 9,737 people – are in the 113 evacuation centers set up and 625 families – 2,400 people – are outdoors or staying with relatives.
Nasrullah Imam, head of the provincial disaster management office, said that «most have been killed by floods and landslides, which have left homes buried.» «Some victims have been trapped in their homes,» he said before warning that the death toll could be higher as people are unaccounted for.
«We are now gathering all the rescue teams and will hold a briefing before deployment,» said Imam, a provincial agency official. «It is no longer raining, so this will help our search and operation.»
The tropical storm, which has maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 160 kilometers per hour, has made landfall in the eastern province of Catanduanes.
