Rains stop in Mindanao; death toll hits 23

Residents ride a boat as they paddle along a flooded village brought about by heavy rains in the outskirts of Butuan City, Agusan del sur province, in southern island of Mindanao on January 13, 2014. Twenty-two people have been killed and nearly 200,000 others evacuated from floods and landslides that hit a southern Philippine region still recovering from a deadly 2012 typhoon, the government said January 14. AFP FILE PHOTO/Erwin Mascarinas

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The sun finally shone Wednesday on many areas in Mindanao, including the Davao provinces, after days of heavy rain induced by a low pressure area, landslides, and floods that have left more than 20 people dead.

The  landslides and floods  killed at least 23 people and left a wide swath of destruction  in Northern Mindanao, the Caraga region and the Davao provinces, officials said. Apart from farms being submerged in floodwaters and other debris, the floods and landslides destroyed or damaged hundreds of houses and more than 30 bridges.

Earlier reports based on statistics from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council showed 24 deaths.

Nearly 200,000 people were affected in the three Mindanao regions, according to the NDRRMC.

But while the rains have eased in Mindanao, Eastern Samar could expect more rainy days ahead as the low pressure area was now some 100 kilometers off the provincial capital of Borongan, the Philippine Atmospheric , Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said.

Northern Luzon, while not  affected by the low pressure area, could experience rains due to the northeast monsoon, Pagasa said.

Pagasa had said that the low pressure area was not expected to develop into a cyclone but warned that gale-force winds were expected to affect coastal areas of Luzon and the Visayas.

RELATED STORIES:
Death toll from Mindanao landslides, floods up to 22

Transportation cut off between Northern and Western Mindanao