Malaysia and the Philippines have been battered by heavy rain and flash floods in recent days, killing dozens, officials said on Tuesday.
The death toll from the flooding and landslides in the Philippines wrought by Tropical Storm Seniang rose to 53 yesterday, officials said, with some regions saying they were caught off guard by the deluge.
In Catbalogan in Samar province, 19 people died in a landslide that left homes and vehicles buried under rocks and mud, Catbalogan Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan said, adding that the town had been surprised by the landslide.
Photo: Reuters
Seniang affected 121,737 people, 80,186 of which are in evacuation centers, the National Disaster Monitoring Agency said.
The storm’s death toll was nearly triple that of the last major storm to hit the country, Super Typhoon Hagupit, earlier this month.
In Misamis Oriental province, floods flattened rice and corn fields resulting in an estimated 400 million pesos (US$9 million) in damages, Misamis Oriental Governor Yevgeny Emano told DZMM radio.
In Leyte, the rains brought landslides and floods that closed off major roads, Leyte Governor Leopoldo Domenico Petilla said on DZMM.
In Malaysia, the worst flooding in a decade forced nearly a quarter of a million people from their homes, officials said, with the government coming under renewed fire for its perceived slow response.
At least 21 people have been killed and eight others are missing in the country’s flooded northeast, police said yesterday.
They said 14 of the deaths were in the worst-hit state of Kelantan, where about 158,476 people were displaced, while four people died in Terengganu State and three in Pahang State. There are also reports of outbreaks of flu and diarrhea.
The number forced from their homes in the other affected states — Pahang, Perak, Terengganu and Johor — totaled 83,570.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who came under fire after being filmed playing golf with US President Barack Obama in Hawaii when the disaster happened, said he was saddened by the flooding.
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