1 dead, 2 missing as floods hit Davao region

Davao Region, or Southern Mindanao (outlined in red). (Image from Google Maps)

DAVAO CITY, Davao del Sur, Philippines —An octogenarian was reported to have drowned in Davao Oriental province while two others were reported missing in Davao de Oro province due to floods triggered by heavy rains on Wednesday.

The Davao and Caraga regions in Mindanao were affected by a low pressure area (LPA), prompting the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) to issue flood and landslide alerts starting Tuesday night.

According to the Davao Oriental information office, an 83-year-old man drowned as floodwaters hit Barangay Alegria in Cateel town.

Two persons were reported missing in Monkayo, Davao de Oro, after they were swept away by raging floodwaters, a report from the Philippine Information Agency said.

The floods prompted the Davao de Oro provincial government to suspend classes in all levels on Wednesday.

The Office of Civil Defense said the floods affected 1,040 families in 22 villages in Davao region.

Heavy rains also caused rivers and creeks to swell in Agusan del Sur province.

Pagasa said the LPA off Davao City will continue to bring rains over the Visayas, Mindanao and parts of Luzon on Thursday.

The LPA embedded along the intertropical convergence zone was last spotted 130 kilometers east of Davao City, it said.

The weather disturbance is still unlikely to intensify into a tropical cyclone but possible flash floods or landslides during moderate to at times heavy rains are seen over the Visayas, Mindanao, Bicol region and the provinces of Quezon and Palawan.

Cagayan Valley region and Aurora province will have cloudy skies and light rains due to the northeasterly windflow, Pagasa said.

—REPORTS FROM CARMELITO Q. FRANCISCO, CHRIS PANGANIBAN AND FRANCES MANGOSING

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