At least 67 people have died in landslides and flooding caused by heavy rains in the southern Philippines, authorities said on Friday (October 28th), ahead of a tropical storm expected to make landfall by Sunday.

Floodwaters quickly invaded several towns and villages on the island of Mindanao, carrying trees, stones and mud in their path, mainly in the poor region of Cotabato, a city of 300,000 inhabitants.

The army has deployed trucks to rescue stranded residents in Cotabato and eight other nearby towns, regional civil protection chief Nasrullah Imam said.

“It is a shock to see municipalities that had never been flooded being affected,” testified Nasrullah Imam, adding that some families had been swept away by the floods.

"The water began to enter the houses before dawn" and several residents were taken aback by the rapid rise in water, local authority spokesman Naguib Sinarimbo told AFP.

The rescuers found 27 bodies in the locality of Datu Odin Sinsuat, to which are added 11 victims found in a village buried under the mud.

Ten bodies were discovered in Datu Blah Sinsuat and five in Upi, according to Naguib Sinarimbo, noting that several people were saved after climbing onto the roofs of houses.

Rescuers had to carry a baby at arm's length in a plastic tub with water up to his chest, according to a photo released by provincial police.

A local filmmaker, Remar Pablo, told AFP he was filming a beauty pageant in the town of Upi when waters submerged the town around midnight, causing onlookers to flee.

"We were stuck inside" the building, said Remar Pablo, whose footage shows a row of half-submerged cars outside.

He finally threw himself into the water to return home.

cities under water 

While the waters have now receded in several areas, the city of Cotabato is still almost completely flooded with water.

And local authorities fear further flooding due to heavy rains.

"Our immediate objective is to continue rescue operations as well as the establishment of community kitchens for survivors," said Naguib Sinarimbo.

The coastguard has also suspended ferry services across much of the archipelago where tens of thousands of people board boats every day.

Heavy rains began Thursday evening in the region.

The heavy rainfall is partly due to Tropical Storm Nalgae, which is expected to strengthen as it approaches the country, meteorological services in Manila said.

Nalgae is heading towards the northwest of the Philippines, with winds of 85 km / h and could hit the island of Samar as early as Friday or the Bicol peninsula in the southern part of the island of Luzon on Friday night in Saturday.

Civil protection has already evacuated some 5,000 people in anticipation of landslides and flooding when the storm makes landfall.

An average of 20 typhoons and storms hit the Philippines each year, killing people and livestock in their path, ravaging farms, homes, roads and bridges.

The south of the country is rarely affected.

As the planet is hit by global warming, storms and typhoons are becoming more powerful, scientists warn.

At the end of September, Typhoon Noru killed at least 10 people in the Philippines, including five rescuers.

Tropical storm Megi, which hit the country in April, killed at least 148 people and caused massive landslides.

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest to ever make landfall, left more than 7,300 people dead or missing.

With AFP

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