7 dead due to flooding in Quirino province

MANILA, Philippines — At least seven people have died in the province of Quirino due to massive flooding caused by Typhoon Ulysses.

During Monday’s Laging Handa Public Briefing, Quirino Governor Dakila Carlo Cua said among those who perished in the landlocked province is a 10-year-old who died of drowning.

The rest of the fatalities are personnel of a mining site in the boundary of Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino, he added.

As of Monday, Cua said the Quirino’s main thoroughfares and bridges are now passable but there are still barangays that have been isolated due to landslides.

Floodwaters have also subsided, allowing the majority of evacuees to return to their homes.

“Kakaunti nalang po ang naiwan sa evacuation centers natin. Mainly, iyong mga naiwan diyan ay mga severely affected iyong kanilang bahay,” Cua said.

Typhoon Ulysses, the 21st cyclone to hit the country this year, triggered massive flooding in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon. It likewise caused flooding in the Cagayan Valley, particularly in the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela.

#CagayanNeedsHelp trended on social media after netizens cried for help as floodwaters displaced numerous residents of the region.

The typhoon also struck areas in Luzon which had barely recovered from the onslaught of Super Typhoon Rolly (Goni), which killed at least 25 people and destroyed thousands of residences.

The nationwide death toll due to the typhoon has so far reached 67, authorities said.

JE