Seven dead, thousands displaced in floods in Philippines
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Manila - Seven people were killed and more than 130,000 displaced in floods that crippled the Philippine capital for the second day Tuesday, disaster relief officials said.
More than half of Manila was flooded, with murky waters reaching as high as 2 metres in some areas, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
Schools, government offices, the stock exchange and many businesses were closed as the floods made many roads impassable, including streets in the financial district of Makati City.
At least 66 domestic and international flights were cancelled at Manila airport, where at least one terminal was flooded and thousands of arriving passengers were stranded.
"All roads leading to the airport are flooded so arriving passengers are unable to leave," said Jose Angel Honrado, general manager of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
More than half a million people were affected by the bad weather in Manila and 11 northern provinces, including 131,198 people forced to flee their homes and stay in evacuation centres or with family and friends, the disaster risk management council said.
It added that most of the seven fatalities died due to drowning. Four people were missing, including three feared to have drowned in floods or swollen rivers.
Authorities ordered mandatory evacuation for thousands of residents living near two swollen rivers in Manila after a nearby dam over-flowed.
"We are calling on residents to heed the call for evacuation as the rains are expected to worsen," said Jeric Sevilla, a spokesmanfor Manila Water Co, which oversees the La Mesa Dam.
Emergency workers and trucks were dispatched to rescue residents forced to stay overnight on their rooftops.
Torrential rains have been battering Manila and northern provinces since the weekend as tropical storm Trami slowly crossed the northern Philippines, the weather bureau said.
Trami, packing maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometres per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 120 kph, has maintained its strength as it moved north at 19 kph.
The weather bureau said northern provinces could experience more rains before the weekend as Trami enhances the southwest monsoon.
