Six killed in Philippine rains

MANILA: At least six people have been killed in landslips and other accidents in the Philippines after a week of heavy rains brought about by three tropical cyclones.

More than 12,000 people have also been forced to flee homes due to floods, according to the country’s disaster risk management council.

Two children, aged 3 and 6, were killed yesterday when a landslip buried their house while they were sleeping, in the town of Barbaza, about 400km south of Manila, police said.

On Friday, two brothers, 11 and 12, were killed when a portion of their house was buried in a landslip in the town of Agoo, in the northern province of La Union, police said.

In the town of Bontoc, in Mountain province, a 54yearold woman died when a passing van was hit by a boulder during a slip on Wednesday.

A 43yearold man was swept away by a strong current as he crossed a river in the central province of Negros Oriental on July 15.

Three tropical cyclones have been dumping heavy rain on a wide area of the Philippines since July 15, starting with storm SonTinh, followed by storm Ampil and a tropical depression locally called Josie.

The weather bureau said Josie, which was packing maximum sustained winds of 60kmh and gusts of up to 75kmh, was expected to move out of the country today. — DPA