Death toll from Philippine floods, landslides rises to 15, with 21 missing

MANILA, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) — The death toll from flash flooding and landslides triggered by typhoon Yagi and the southwest monsoon in the Philippines has risen to 15, with 21 still missing, the country’s Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said Wednesday.
OCD Director of Operations Service Cesar Idio said 15 people were reported dead across the country due to the impact of Yagi, which has intensified from a severe tropical storm into a typhoon. Meanwhile, 15 were injured and 21 are still missing, Idio said.
Since the weekend, torrential rain dumped by Yagi and the southwest monsoon has triggered massive flooding in the Philippine capital and many parts of the archipelago.
Idio said Yagi, which blew out of the Philippines on Wednesday morning, has affected nearly 450,000 families or 1.7 million people, mostly in the Bicol region. And almost 89,000 displaced people have had to stay in government-run shelters.
Yagi also has damaged agriculture and infrastructure worth 351 million pesos (about 6.2 million U.S. dollars), Idio added.
An average of 20 typhoons lashed the Philippines yearly. ■