Death toll reaches 27 as Tropical Storm Juaning makes landfall in the Philippines

[News_Editor]

Death toll reaches 27 as Tropical Storm Juaning makes landfall in the Philippines

2011-07-27 20:24:53 GMT+7 (ICT)

MANILA (BNO NEWS) -- The death toll as a result of Tropical Storm Juaning in the Philippines has risen to at least 27 as the storm made landfall in central and northern Luzon on Wednesday, the government said. Dozens more remain missing.

As of 7 p.m. local time on Wednesday, the center of Juaning was located about 80 kilometers (49 miles) north of Baguio, a large city in northern Luzon. It is moving toward the northwest at a speed of 17 kilometers (10 miles) per hour and the storm is expected to enter the South China Sea on Wednesday evening.

As of 5 p.m. local time on Wednesday, the maximum sustained winds of Juaning had slightly decreased to about 85 kilometers (52 miles) per hour near the center and gusts up to 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

According to Benito Ramos, the Executive Director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), at least 27 people were confirmed killed as a result of Juaning by early Wednesday evening. Nearly 30 others remain missing.

The deadliest incident so far was reported in the Jose Panganiban municipality of Camarines Norte where a landslide hit a house, killing five family members including a newborn baby. Elsewhere in the province, in Bulwagang Bato, a 29-year-old man was reported to have drowned.

In Albay province, three children aged 10, 4, and 7 were killed when a landslide hit in the village of Gabon. Earlier reports from NDRRMC that the landslide killed at least seven people were later corrected.

At least six people were killed elsewhere in Albay province. Among them was an elderly person who was electrocuted, an elderly person who was hit by a falling tree, and two people aged 33 and 23 who drowned. Two family members, one of them a 3-year-old child, were also killed in the same province when they were hit by a falling tree.

The island province of Catanduanes reported at least four fatalities, three who drowned and a fourth person who was hit by a falling electric post. Two fatalities as a result of a lightning strike were reported in the province of Cavite.

One fatality each was reported in Camarines Sur province, Iloilo province, Quezon province, and the island provinces of Siquijor and Marinduque. One 7-year-old child was also reported killed by drowning in the city of Las Pinas.

However, the number of fatalities is expected to increase further as at least 28 people remain missing, many of whom are feared to have drowned.

On Wednesday morning, at around 10 a.m. local time, a fishing boat identified as FB Hope Christy capsized in the vicinity of Masbate and Sibuyan Island. It was carrying a total of 32 people, of which only twelve were rescued and taken to a nearby hospital.

"The search and rescue operation for the remaining twenty fishermen of FB Hope Christy is still ongoing with Coast Guard District Southern Tagalog (CGDSTL) deploying one Coast Guard vessel TB-271 to assist in the operation," a spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard said. Meanwhile, Admiral Ramon C Liwag PCG, Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard, has ordered to deploy a second Coast Guard vessel and one helicopter to assist.

In addition to those killed and missing, a total of 34 people have been reported injured as a result of Juaning. This number is also expected to rise.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-07-27