Floods hit Philippine capital

The latest downpours come just a week after Typhoon Saola battered Manila and other parts of the northern Philippines for days, leading to the deaths of more than 50 people.

It is thought that the recent deluge is the worst experienced since 2009, when hundreds died in flash floods after several major dams overflowed and rivers burst their banks.

Benito Ramos, head of the government’s disaster agency said that the rains had flooded 50 per cent of metropolitan Manila on Monday evening, with around 30 per cent remaining under waist-deep waters on Tuesday.

Residents in areas prone to floods and landslides were strongly advised to stay in evacuation centres. Authorities stressed that because the soils are so saturated with water, even a little more rain could be dangerous.

Quezon City in the suburbs of Manila was where the landslide happened, falling onto a row of shanties perched at the bottom of a hill and burying nine people.

Army troops and police frantically dug to save those who had been buried, including four children, but were unable to save them. National police chief Nicanor Bartolome ordered all other residents to leave the area immediately.

Vehicles struggled to navigate the flooded roads, where hundreds of thousands of commuters were stranded. Many cars were abandoned, stuck in muddy waters.

President Benigno Aquino III called an emergency meeting of cabinet officials and disaster response agencies. He ordered officials to ensure that all residents in flooded areas were accounted for and to discuss how flooded hospitals could be helped in case they were hit by power outages.

The flooding also hit the financial district of Makati, closing the Philippine Stock Exchange. Also, government work and classes were suspended, with only a few shopping malls open to offer limited grocery supplies.

Manila’s weather bureau said the seasonal monsoon rains across the Philippines have been intensified by a tropical storm off the east coast of China. Further torrential downpours are expected during the next few days, but should ease later in the weekend.