7 Dead, Thousands Displaced: Deadly Landslides and Floods Hit Surigao del Sur as Storm Slams Visayas-Mindanao

Torrential rains triggered two devastating landslides that killed seven people and displaced more than 3,000 villagers in the southeastern Philippines, as a storm made landfall in Surigao del Sur province late Thursday before cutting west across the central islands.

By Friday noon, the storm was packing sustained winds of up to 55 kph with gusts reaching 70 kph. Nearly 10,000 people have been affected by the relentless downpours in recent days, with over 3,200 forced to evacuate to emergency shelters or seek refuge with relatives.

Ang nakakatakot dito — the storm struck well ahead of the typhoon season, which typically begins in June. Weather officials say the rains and thunderstorms were caused by cold winds colliding with warm, moist air from the Pacific, an increasingly common pattern in the disaster-prone archipelago.

Transport disruptions were massive. The Philippine Coast Guard reported nearly 5,000 passengers and cargo workers stranded across 94 seaports after inter-island ferry and cargo services were suspended due to rough seas. Dozens of domestic flights were also cancelled, leaving thousands of travelers stuck at airports.

Forecasters expect the storm to weaken into a tropical depression later Friday as it moves northwest, though heavy rain warnings remain in effect with continued flood risks across the central islands. The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 typhoons and storms each year and sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, making it one of the world's most disaster-prone countries.

Source: Vatican News
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