13 dead, 7 missing in Philippine floods

At least 13 people were killed and seven others were missing in the south-eastern Philippines due to floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains, prompting thousands of residents to evacuate their homes, disaster response officials said Monday.

Maj. Reynaldo Balido, spokesman for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said six people died due to floods in Compostela Valley province. Seven other people died in Davao Oriental province, including five who perished in a landslide in Tarragona township.

The flooding has affected 132,000 people from 10 provinces but it was still unclear how many of them had to evacuate their homes, he added. Liza Mazo, a regional disaster-response official, said 10,000 people fled to safer grounds in her region that covers four provinces and an island over the weekend after two days of rains flooded low-lying villages and set off minor landslides.

The same area was hit by a typhoon in December 2012, leaving nearly 2,000 people dead and missing and causing massive destruction.