Philippines: Missing ferry catches fire
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At least 42 people have been killed and dozens feared missing as the Philippines has been hit by a deadly storm that has caused flooding and landslides. Search and rescue teams pulled bodies from water and thick mud on Friday, including eleven from the southern province of Maguindanao.
The province was hit hard by storm Nalgae according to Naguib Sinarimbo, interior minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Mindanao (BARMM).
Mr Sinarimbo explained that rescue efforts had been temporarily suspended overnight on Friday but will resume on Saturday morning.
It comes as fears grow that more people are still trapped under mud and flood waters, particularly in the town of Datu Odin.
Speaking to Reuters, Mr Sinarimbo expressed his concern that up to 80 people might be trapped.
He said: “Based on the assessment on the ground, at that specific site, there were many (who got buried).
“The number might hit 80, but we are hoping it won’t reach that number.”
Thousands of people had been evacuated out of the path of storm Nalgae as fears grow that the storm could make a landfall in Samar province in central Philippines.
Mr Sinarimbo said that the rainfall in Maguindanao province had exceeded expectations and that initial preparations had not been enough.
He said: “There were preparations made but unfortunately, the rainfall was more than what people had expected.”
In the province of Sultan Kudarat, coast guard images showed that rescue workers had to use rubber boats to get to residents who were trapped in chest-deep waters.
The Philippines regularly suffers from landslides and flooding partly due to the growing intensity of tropical cyclones that regularly batter the country.
On average the Philippines experiences 20 typhoons a year.
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Storm Nalgae forced many flights to be cancelled just as many people were heading back home to observe All Souls Day.
Schools were also closed and the operations at ports severely disrupted.
According to the weather bureau, the storm could intensify even further as moves over the Philippine Sea.
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