At least 13 dead and more than 20 missing after Christmas rains and floods in the Philippines

Nearly 46,000 people sheltering in evacuation centres as of Monday

Deaths from heavy rains on Christmas Day that also led to floods in southern Philippines have gone up to 13, authorities said on Tuesday.

The search for 23 missing people from the floods, that led to nearly 46,000 evacuations, is still ongoing, reported local media.

Christmas celebrations were disrupted for thousands of residents forced to evacuate on Sunday and a day later, authorities explained the floods in the country’s southern provinces were the consequence of heavy rains.

Images and videos on social media showed people trapped in floodwater.

Rescue workers on Tuesday lined up to help residents out of flood waters, reported Reuters.

The coast guard, police and fire personnel are all involved in search and rescue efforts in landslide-hit areas. Some roads were flooded by overflowing rivers nearby, according to some reports.

Rescue workers help people affected by floods, in Plaridel, Misamis Occidental Province (via REUTERS)

Nearly 46,000 people were sheltering in evacuation centres as of Monday, said data from the country’s Social Welfare Ministry.

“We need food. Our house and animals were carried away by floods,” Estela Talaruc, a Misamis Occidental resident, was quoted as saying by DZRH radio station.

“Nothing was left, not even clothes.”

Most of the 13 reported deaths were caused by drowning and flash floods, authorities said. Rescue operations continued and damage to agriculture was being assessed, Carmelito Heray, head of the disaster agency in Clarin town in Misamis Occidental province, told DZBB radio station.

“The big damage here is livestock because their adult pigs, chickens, goats and cows are now gone,” Clarin town mayor Emeterio Roa said on the radio, according to news agencies.

Earlier this month, tropical storm Rosal, also called Pakhar, did not make landfall and later weakened into a low-pressure area, though it did bring heavy rain and strong winds to parts of the country.

Rosal was the Philippines’ 18th tropical cyclone for 2022 and the first for December, according to online news website Rappler.

The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, sees an average of 20 tropical storms annually.

Additional reporting by agencies