Dec. 31 (UPI) — A weekend storm triggered flooding and landslides in the Philippines, killing more than 60 people and leaving more than a dozen missing, civil defense officials said Monday.
The hardest hit area was the mountainous Bicol region, where 57 people died. Another 11 died on the island of Samar.
“I am afraid this [death toll] will still go up because there are a lot of areas we still have to clear,” Claudio Yucot, Bicol civil defense director, said.
Wind gusts reached 34 mph and rain fell on already-saturated land.
Some 100 people were involved in search-and-rescue operations concentrated in the city of Legazpi and the town of Libon, The New York Times reported.
CNN reported dozens of areas were without power due to infrastructure damage.
