Paeng’s fury in Western Visayas: 7 dead, 2 missing, 169,000 displaced

Bureau of Fire Protection in Western Visayas rescue team cordons off the road leading to the Paliwan Bridge in Antique which collapsed on Oct. 29, 2022 due to floods following heavy rains spawned by tropical storm “Paeng.” Paliwan Bridge connects the towns of Laua-an and Bugasong, Antique. (Photo by BFP- Western Visayas)

MANILA, Philippines – Seven persons died due to drowning while two others remained missing after 171 barangays in Western Visayas were flooded during the onslaught of Tropical Storm Paeng (international name: Nalgae).

Five of the fatalities were reported and recorded in Libacao, Aklan; one in Tapaz, Capiz and another in San Joaquin, Iloilo, according to the 5 a.m. update of the Office of the Civil Defense – Western Visayas (OCD-6) on Sunday.

The storm likewise displaced some 169,000 individuals and destroyed an estimated P35 million worth of crops.

The OCD-6 said rescuers are till searchng for a 29-year-old woman from Passi City, Iloilo and a 60-year-old man from Libacao, Aklan.

At least 1.6 metric tons of crops worth P33.5 million were damaged after floods hit 171 villages in Capiz (132 barangays), Antique (23), Aklan (11), and Negros Occidental (6), displacing 40,969 families of 169,126 individuals.

A portion of Paliwan Bridge, which connects the towns of Laua-an and Bugasong in Antique, collapsed on Oct. 29, 2022 due to floods following heavy rains spawned by tropical storm “Paeng.” Paliwan Bridge . (Photo by BFP Western Visayas)

Of the number, 14,676 families composed of 55,331 people stayed in 553 evacuation centers set up in Western Visayas.

The rest — 26,293 families or 113,795 individuals – decided to stay with their relatives.

Floods rendered 53 roads impassable – 40 in Capiz, 10 in Negros Occidental, 2 in Aklan, and 1 in Antique.

The same report also showed that two bridges in Antique and one each in Capiz and in Iloilo were not also passable

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