Landslide In Manila Suburb Kills 9, Injures 4

[News_Editor]

Landslide in Manila suburb kills 9, injures 4 < br />

2012-08-07 20:53:10 GMT+7 (ICT)

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (BNO NEWS) -- Torrential rains affected the northern region of the Philippines on Tuesday morning, forcing nearly 130,000 people in the region to flee their homes and triggering a landslide in a Manila suburb which killed at least nine people, emergency officials said.

The torrential rains were generated by seasonal monsoon but enhanced by Typhoon Haikui, causing intense rains over parts of Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines. It caused flooding in at least 46 cities and municipalities, with the cities of Valenzuela, Malabon, Muntinlupa and Quezon among the worst-hit areas.

The rains triggered a landslide in a village near Quezon City, a Manila suburb, burying two houses and the two families who were inside. "The nine members of the Baylon family were all found dead on the spot," said Benito Ramos, the Executive Director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). He said the four members of the second family were rescued alive and rushed to a local hospital, where one of them remained in a critical condition.

The Philippine Red Cross said it rescued more than 250 persons in various flood-stricken areas in Valenzuela, Rizal and Quezon City. "The Red Cross life-saving vehicles, including its amphibian, rubber boats, 6 X 6 trucks and ambulances are on full swing surveying flooded areas and assisting in rescue operations and evacuations of families trapped by rising flood water," a spokesperson said.

Ramos said approximately 129,500 people have fled their homes, including some 78,000 people who went to one of the 216 evacuation centers and 52,000 people who sought help at evacuation centers but went to stay at relatives or friends. Those numbers are expected to increase during the next few days.

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