Philippine Floods Kill 66 People
CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines (AP) - Torrential rains spawned flash floods in the southern Philippines and sent volcanic boulders crashing down into villages, killing at least 66 people and leaving dozens more missing Wednesday.
A steady four-hour downpour from tropical storm Lingling triggered pre-dawn floods on Camiguin, an island province famed for its beach resorts just north of Mindanao Island, said Casiano Matela, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense.
``I could not believe this would happen. Entire houses were swept away,'' Camiguin Gov. Pedro Romualdo said by cellular telephone.
He said at least 51 bodies were brought to a gymnasium in Mahinog town, which bore the brunt of the storm on the eastern side of the island.
Matela reported three people also were killed in the provincial capital of Mambajao, seven in Sagay and three in Catarman. The civil defense office said at least 57 people were missing. Two girls were killed in Toledo City in central Cebu province, which also was hit by floods and landslides.
Romualdo said he expected the death toll to rise and that his province will need more coffins.
Matela said residents reported hearing a thunderous water spout - a tornado over water - before the flash floods. Flood waters bearing boulders cascaded from the Hibok-Hibok volcano into mountain villages in Mahinog and in riverside communities in Catarman, he said.
Romualdo said rescue teams could not reach some communities because of damaged roads and a destroyed bridge. Matela said helicopters that tried to reach the island were forced back by the weather.
The entire country is prone to tropical storms, Camiguin usually is spared the worst because the normal storm path is further north.
Lingling, with gusts up to 56 mph, was expected to cross central Panay Island, about 250 miles southeast of Manila, late Wednesday as it blows northwest.
The storm knocked out electricity and flooded many parts of central Leyte and Samar provinces, where elementary and high schools were closed. There were no immediate reports of casualties in those two provinces.
Originally published November 07, 2001.
