
At least thirteen people have been killed by flooding caused by heavy rains over the past day in Maguindanao province in the southern Philippines.
Authorities reported Friday that the dead are concentrated in the towns of Datu odin Sinsuat and Datu Blah Sinsuat, more than 900 kilometers from Manila, the capital.
Nasrullah Imam, head of the provincial disaster management office, said that «most have died from floods and landslides, which have left homes buried.» «Some victims were trapped in their homes,» he said before warning that the death toll could be higher as people are unaccounted for.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has warned that tropical storm ‘Nalgae’ is expected to bring heavy rainfall in the western part of the archipelago by the weekend.
The storm is moving at about 25 kilometers per hour with maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 90 kilometers per hour, according to the country’s weather agency.