At least 59 dead in Philippines due to Typhoon Ompong

MANILA, Philippines (5th UPDATE) – The number of people killed by Typhoon Ompong (Mangkhut) rose to 59 on Sunday, September 16, with 49 of the fatalities coming from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

Below is the breakdown from the Philippine National Police (PNP):

• CAR – 49
• Cagayan Valley – 7
• Ilocos Region – 1
• Central Luzon – 1
• Metro Manila – 1

The PNP said 47 others were injured, while 16 remain missing. Of the missing, 13 are in CAR.

Cordillera casualties

A massive landslide in Barangay Loacan in Itogon, Benguet destroyed 4 mining bunkhouses, leaving at least 26 people dead and 8 others missing. Of the dead in Loacan, 10 were neighbors who tried to rescue those buried in the landslide.

In nearby Barangay Ucab, still in Itogon, 4 were buried in a landslide.

There were also 3 fatalities in separate landslides in La Trinidad, Benguet.

In Baguio City, the death toll increased to 9, also due to landslides. Six remain missing.

In Bontoc, Mountain Province, 6 members of the Baggay and Minimo families died when their houses were buried in a landslide.

An elderly man in Pasil, Kalinga also died of head injuries due to a landslide.

Ompong affected at least 250,036 individuals in Luzon, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. – with reports from Frank Cimatu and Rambo Talabong/Rappler.com