At least 22 dead by a tropical storm in the Philippines
At least 22 people have died and three are missing in floods, landslides and other disasters caused by tropical storm Usman as it passes through the Philippines this weekend.
The spokesman for the National Council for Management and Disaster Reduction (NDRRMC), Edgar Posadas, quoted by the radio station DZBB, explained that the deaths occurred in the Bicol and Eastern Visayas regions, adding that most of the victims lost their lives in landslides.
A Bicol, located in the southeast of the island of Luzon, corresponds to 16 dead and the remaining six belong to Eastern Visayas, located in the central region and comprising the main islands of Samar, Leyte and Biliran.
In Eastern Visayas there are also three people reported missing, according to Posadas.
The tropical storm, turned into a low-pressure area on Sunday, entered the Philippines through the Pacific and made landfall on Saturday, causing floods, landslides, power outages and other damage, as well as leaving tens of thousands of Filipinos stuck in airports and ports.
The meteorological service today predicted moderate to occasional rainfall in much of the country for the next 24 hours because of Usman, who travels west to the South China Sea and the presence of a cold front.
The Philippines receives between 15 and 20 typhoons every year during the rainy or monsoon season, which usually begins in May or June and ends in November or December.
