Floodwaters submerge Philippines, leaving 9 dead

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Ruthless rains submerged half of the Philippine capital, prompted a landslide that killed at least nine people, and sent emergency crews scrambling on Tuesday to rescue tens of thousands of residents who called media outlets pleading for help. The inundation, the worst since 2009 when hundreds died in rampaging flash floods, was triggered by the seasonal monsoon that overflowed major dams and rivers in Manila and surrounding provinces.

Last week’s Typhoon Saola battered Manila and the north for several days before leaving on Friday. The storm was the cause of 53 deaths. “It’s like a water world,” said Benito Ramos, head of the government’s disaster response agency. Ramos said the rains flooded 50 percent of metropolitan Manila on Monday evening, and almost 30 percent remained under waist- or neck-deep waters on Tuesday. Work and classes on Tuesday and Wednesday were suspended by the government. A select few shopping malls were open for people to buy groceries, which are limited.




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