DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines -- Four persons died while two others remain missing when floods and a landslide hit Negros Oriental, damaging some 400 houses and millions of pesos in infrastructure, crops and livestock.

Downpours began Friday afternoon and continued for some 36 hours, until Saturday evening, causing the Banica River that straddles Valencia town and Dumaguete, and the Ocoy River in Sibulan, to overflow and flood the 30 barangay (villages) of Dumaguete City and neighboring municipalities.

The Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC), quoting reports it had received, said the fatalities were from Dumaguete, Valencia, and Amlan.

At the PDCC meeting presided by Governor Emilio Macias II, the fatalities were identified as Susan Fernandez, 14, and her cousin Judilyn Fernandez, 11, both from Sagbang, Valencia; Bernie Mar A. Demecillo, 2, from Candau-ay, Dumaguete; and Felix Sahulla of Silab, Amlan.

Demecillo's mother, Marecil, and a still unidentified person from Pamplona town remain missing.

Dumaguete deputy chief of police Chief Inspector Rosalinda Abellon reported that the flooding washed away 14 houses and damaged 236 others in Barangay (village) Candau-ay, Cadawinonan, Taclobo, Bagacay, Balugo and Camanjac.

Floods also swept away 12 houses in Sibulan and affected 152 houses in Amlan.

Provincial engineer Susano Ruperto told the PDCC that the two days of rain caused an estimated P16 million in damage to the province’s roads and bridges.

Provincial agriculturist Gregorio Paltinca reported that the flooding damaged around 500 hectares planted to rice, corn, vegetables, banana, coconut and fruit trees.

In addition, Paltinca said around 600 head of cattle, chicken, carabao, goats and pigs had been lost to the floods.