Deaths climb as storm makes landfall in Philippines
STORY: The death toll continued to soar in the Philippines, after Storm Nalgae slammed into the country early on Saturday.
It triggered flash floods and landslides that killed scores of people, with the country’s disaster agency saying the southern provinces suffered the brunt of the impact.
Video posted online by the public information office of the central Gasan municipality showed heavy rains pounding down and powerful winds tearing through the town square.
Intensifying into a Severe Tropical Storm, Nalgae was packing maximum sustained winds of 59 miles per hour, and whipping up gusts of up to 99 miles an hour, when it made landfall in the northeastern Catanduanes island province.
Weather officials warned Nalgae would bring heavy rains over the capital region and nearby provinces, as it cut through the main Luzon island and headed towards the South China Sea.
Meanwhile search and rescue teams continued looking for missing persons on Saturday.
They’ve been plucking residents to safety from chest-deep waters, and pulling bodies from thick mud, since the storm began unleashing flooding and landslides on Friday.
Government officials in the southern Maguindanao province said the rainfall had exceeded expectations.
Most of the deaths from the storm have been in the province.
