Manila, July 26 (IANS) At least 30 Filipinos are now known to have died in the southwest monsoon enhanced by three tropical cyclones that triggered flash floods and landslides in the Philippines since last week, a Philippine government agency said on Saturday.
In a report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that seven others are missing, either swept away by flash floods or buried in landslides.
It added that the massive flooding and landslides also resulted in 10 injuries.
The agency reported that it validated 13 of the 30 fatalities.
The NDRRMC reported that over 1.46 million families, or approximately 5.30 million people, were affected nationwide.
The Office of Civil Defence reported that 88 cities and municipalities have declared a state of calamity to expedite emergency response efforts and facilitate access to necessary resources.
Typhoon Wipha, Francisco, and Co-May have exited the Philippines, but the state weather bureau warned that the southwest monsoon is expected to dump more rain in the coming days in parts of Luzon Island.
An average of 20 typhoons lash the Philippines yearly, Xinhua news agency reported.
On July 24, heavy rain threatened to trigger more severe floods and landslides in the Philippines as the country experienced a series of three tropical storms in days, worsening a disaster that has already left up to 12 people dead and over 2.7 million people displaced.
In a report, the NDRRMC said that a total of 765,869 families, or approximately 2,733,646 people, have been affected nationwide by flooding and landslides due to relentless rain dumped by Tropical Storm Wipha and the enhanced southwest monsoon since last week.
The agency reported that 12 have died and eight remain missing in the wake of Wipha and the monsoon rain.
The agency said Wipha and the monsoon caused significant damage to the country. The damage to agriculture amounts to 366.38 million pesos (roughly $6.5 million), encompassing damage to rice, corn, high-value crops, fisheries, and livestock, which affects thousands of farmers and fisherfolk.
–IANS
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