Philippines: At least 25 dead from floods – 26 missing (PHOTO)

At least 25 people died in the approx twenty floods that hit various areas of the Philippines on Christmas Day, according to the latest tally released by authorities today.

Tens of thousands more were forced to give up their homes after torrential rains caused floods that submerged entire villages, towns and highways, disrupting celebrations in the majority Catholic country of 110 million people.

According to the national disaster agency, more than 81,000 people have had to take shelter in flood reception centers, while efforts continue to provide assistance to the hardest-hit populations.

In the province of Misamis Occidental and on the island of Mindanao, at least thirteen people were lost, most of them drowned, the agency said. The rest of the victims were in seven more provinces.

Yet 26 people remain missingwhile nine injured have been counted.

Meteorologists predict moderate to heavy rainfall today and tomorrow Thursday in central and southern areas of the archipelago, due to a barometric low that may strengthen.

There is a risk of new “floods and landslides” in these areas, the Philippine Meteorological Service warned.

Authorities announced today that an aerial survey of the extent of damage in Misamis Occidental has begun.

The weather began to deteriorate late last week in the Philippines, one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change. Scientists warn that the storms that hit the archipelago every year will become more and more severe, as the temperature of the planet rises.

RES-EMP

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