2 die in Isabela due to rains

MANILA, Philippines – At least two people died in Isabela while trying to cross the Cagayan River amid continuous rain there on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011, according to Isabela Gov. Faustino Dy III.

In a radio interview, Dy also said the water level at the Cagayan River had started to go down, after the rain subsided.

“Itong dalawa … pinilit tawirin ang Cagayan River kaya nagkaroon ng casualty ang Isabela (The two fatalities tried to cross the Cagayan River amid rain there, so Isabela now has two casualties),” Dy said in an interview on dzBB radio.

He said the bodies of the fatalities were retrieved late Tuesday.

Dy said several residents had been evacuated from their homes in flood-prone parts of Isabela due to rain that had been falling since Friday.

Dy said the rains in the province started last Friday and ended only on Tuesday.

Citing initial reports reaching him, he said the rain affected 122 villages, and isolated some of them.

Dy also said authorities conducted a forced evacuation Tuesday of a village where 42 houses were under threat from a landslide.

He also said the rain had affected some 7,455 families in the province.

An earlier dzBB report said some 2,500 people near the Cagayan River evacuated their homes due to the river’s swelling.

The report said many of those who evacuated were from villages in Ilagan town. – Rappler.com