Heavy rains leave 6 dead in Mindanao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Heavy rains battering the southern Philippines left at least 6 people dead and 8 others missing, authorities said Sunday, January 12, sparking fears for Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) survivors still living in makeshift shelters.

Four people were crushed to death in their homes on the southern island of Mindanao after landslides struck the mountain town of Tarragona, Davao Oriental, on Saturday, local police said.

A seven-year-old girl was killed and 3 others were missing after a landslide in the gold-rush mining town of Monkayo, Compostela Valley, while a one-year-old boy drowned when a flash flood from nearby mountains hit the mining city of Bayugan, Agusan del Sur, civil defense officials said.

In Agusan del Norte, 2 other people went missing as they crossed a swollen river in the town of Santiago, while three fishermen vanished after going out to sea in the coastal town of Tubay, local police said.

Officials fear the rains may worsen the already-harsh living conditions for survivors of typhoon Yolanda, many of whom are still lodged in temporary shelters after their homes were destroyed in the November typhoon.

Government weather forecaster Manny Mendoza said the heavy rains would continue for 2 to 3 days, primarily affecting Samar and Leyte, which bore the brunt of Yolanda, one of the most intense typhoons on record. (READ: Rainy Monday in Bicol, Visayas, Mindanao)

The downpours have pounded the southern and central Philippines for 3 days as a low-pressure area – an atmospheric phenomenon that causes heavy rains – came closer to Mindanao, finally making landfall in Surigao del Sur on Sunday.

The government civil defense office said that more than 4,000 people had been evacuated from their homes on the banks of waterways and on hillsides under a precautionary measure due to the rains.

Yolanda, one of the worst natural disasters to hit the Philippines, left nearly 8,000 people dead or missing as it flattened whole towns in Samar and Leyte with strong winds and tsunami-like storm surges. – Rappler.com