MANILA (Updated)-- Six persons, including a young girl found floating in Marikina river, were confirmed dead as Typhoon Ompong (international name Mangkhut) unleashes its fury in Luzon, government officials said Saturday, September 15.
The Office of Civil Defense-Cordillera Administrative Region (OCD-Cordillera) said two small scale miners were killed after rescuing a family in Itogon, Benguet, who were trapped in a landslide. The mother of the family who were rescued did not survive.
Two other persons were buried in a landslide in Barangay Bakakeng, Baguio City, OCD-Cordillera said.
But officials declined to name the fatalities while their identities were being confirmed.
Philippine National Police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Benigno Durana said the body of an unidentified young girl, whose age is around nine to 12 years old, was found floating in the Marikina river under the Javier Bridge in Maybunga, Pasig City.
"Meron po tayong isang nakitang patay na lumulutang po doon sa Marikina River sa ilalim po ng Javier Bridge sa Maybunga, Pasig City. Ito po ay apparently nine to 12 years old. Unknown pa po kung sino po siya. Ito po ay babae," he said.
(We have found a dead body floating in the Marikina river under the Javier Bridge in Maybunga, Pasig City. She is apparently nine to 12 years old. Her identity is still unknown. She's a girl so far.)
The OCD-Cordillera said there were eight small-scale miners who responded to calls for help from a family who were trapped in a landslide in Itogon. But two of the miners perished including the mother of the family.
"Dito sa Cordillera, as of now, meron nang 51 incidents ang recorded na nangyari doon, 42 doon ay landslides. At confirmed na meron nang dalawang patay doon. Yung mga responders na tumugon sa pag-ligtas ng mga naapektuhan," Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) executive director and Office of the Civil Defense administrator, said in a press briefing Saturday.
(Here in Cordillera, as of now, there are 51 recorded incidents, 42 of which are landslides. And it is confirmed that there are two killed, the responders who joined the rescue operations to the areas affected by the typhoon.)
Four of the major highways in Cordillera namely Kennon Road, Marcos Highway, Halsema Highway and Naguilian road were closed following several landslides, according to the OCD-Cordillera.
The OCD also reported flooding along the stretch of La Trinidad in Benguet starting from Kilometer 3 to Kilometer 6.
Meantime, most incidents recorded by the Baguio City Disaster Risk Reduction Management were landslides, flooding, fallen trees and electric posts.
Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan on Saturday morning has sent quick response teams to take care of the 2,215 delegates of the Batang Pinoy Games.
They are billeted in various public schools in Baguio City. The Luzon delegates are housed at the Baguio City National High School; Visayas delegates at the Times City National High School, Doña Josefa Cariño Elementary High School, and Baguio Central School; and Mindanao delegates are billeted at the Quezon Elementary School, Sped Center and the Mabini Elementary School.
Ompong has slightly weakened with winds at 160 kilometers per hour (km/h) and gusts of up to 195 km/h, as it moves in a west northwestward direction, the state weather bureau said in its 5 p.m. bulletin.
The eye of the typhoon as of 4 p.m. was 160 kilometer west northwest of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.
Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal (TCWS) Number 3 is still hoisted in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Abra, Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao and Benguet.
TWCS Number 2 is hoisted over Batanes, Cagayan including Babuyan Group of Islands, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino , Pangasinan, Zambales, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and Aurora.
TCWS Number 1 is hoisted in Metro Manila, Bataan, Rizal, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Lubang Island and Northern Quezon including Polillo Islands.
Meanwhile, southwest monsoon (Habagat) enhanced by the typhoon will bring gusty winds and occasional moderate to heavy rains over Western Visayas and the Mimaropa region.
Scattered light to moderate rains or heavy rains will prevail over Bicol, Eastern and Central Visayas regions, the state weather bureau said. (with VLA/SunStar Philippines)