Heavy rains leave 18 dead in Philippines

Monsoon rains worsened by Typhoon Usagi pounded the Philippines for the third day on Monday, causing floods and landslides that left 18 people dead and others stranded on rooftops, officials said.

The most severely affected area was the province of Zambales, about 80 kilometres northwest of Manila where heavy rains caused rain-soaked soil to cascade down, killing 17 people in different parts of the province, said assistant civil defence director Nigel Lontoc.

“They were surprised by the rain. It happened before dawn so they might have been asleep at the time,” he said.

“This is mountainous area and there are many houses on the slopes. The rain must have really weakened the soil,” he added.

A 67-year-old woman drowned when her home was submerged by a flood in Olongapo City, also in Zambales, he added.

The mayor of Subic town, Jay Khonghun, where the majority of victims died, said the heavy rains and chest-deep floods had isolated the town of 160,000.

Although many people were rescued, about a hundred remained trapped on their rooftops by the rising waters, he said.

Government employee Cristina Humbert, 35, said the ground floor of her two-storey home had been flooded but she managed to evacuate with her 63-year-old mother to higher ground.