Three Isabela bridges submerged; rains trigger Aurora slides

RAMON, Philippines—Residents were unable to cross three bridges in Isabela on Saturday because these had been submerged in water discharged by the Magat Dam here.

The flooding of the Sta. Maria-Cabagan, Cabagan-Santo Tomas and Quirino bridges obstructed access to several Isabela towns.

Many towns experienced fair weather over the weekend, but rains dumped by Tropical Storm Ofel had inundated the watersheds in Nueva Vizcaya and Ifugao, prompting operators of Magat Dam to release water as a precautionary measure, said Saturnino Tenedor, chief of Magat Dam’s instrumentation section.

He said water level at the dam’s reservoir rose to 191.77 meters above sea level. The dam’s spilling level is 193 meters.

In Aurora, landslides triggered by Ofel stranded more than a hundred vehicles along the Pantabangan-Canili Road, an official of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said on Saturday.

The three landslides-stricken segments of the road spanning Km 37 and Km 257 are all in Maria Aurora town, according to PDRRMC head Elson Egargue. He said the PDRRMC provided bread to some of the stranded motorists.

(With a report from Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon)