2 killed in Caraga floods

BUTUAN CITY — Two Agusan del Sur residents drowned while agricultural crops and livestock worth millions of pesos were lost in the flash floods that swept the Caraga region yesterday due to days of continuous rains, civil defense officials said.

Christopher Mazo, of the local civil defense office, said the two casualties, Cornelio Barrios and Samuel Fronteras, both residents of Prosperidad town, were carried by strong currents of the Gibong River.

Coast Guard personnel rescued three people here after strong currents of the swelling Agusan River, Mindanao’s longest, swept them away.

Residents along the banks of the Agusan River began evacuating yesterday morning.

They were alerted on logs washed away by the strong currents. Authorities have confiscated at least 1,200 pieces.

Mazo said they were still awaiting reports from other parts of the region to fully assess the extent of the flash floods’ damage. — Ben Serrano