Death toll in Philippine typhoon, monsoon rises to 33

Manila, July 26 (IANS) The death toll from the severe flooding and landslides triggered by the southwest monsoon enhanced by Typhoon Gaemi has risen to 33, police said on Friday.

Police said 11 people died in the Philippine capital region, Manila, 12 in the Calabarzon region, and 10 from Central Luzon, including the crew of an oil tanker that sunk off Bataan province on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The cause of death mainly was drowning, landslides, fallen trees, and electrocution.

The Philippines’ national disaster agency has yet to report deaths due to the twin effects of southwest monsoon and Gaemi.

Gaemi, the third typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, left the country on Thursday morning, leaving a trail of destruction as it barreled through towns and villages across the country.

The typhoon forced hundreds of thousands of villages to abandon communities prone to flood and landslides, toppled trees and electrical posts, and ripped off tin roofs.

The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries globally, mainly due to its location in the Pacific Ring of Fire and the Pacific Typhoon Belt. On average, the archipelagic country experiences 20 typhoons yearly, some intense and destructive.

Landslides and flash floods are common across the Philippines during the rainy season, especially when a typhoon hits. In 2013, the Philippines was hit by super typhoon Haiyan, which killed over 7,000 people.

–IANS

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