10 killed in Samar floods, landslides

TACLOBAN CITY — The death toll in the floods and landslides that swept through parts of Northern Samar after days of torrential rains has risen to 10, with five others still missing and three more injured, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said.

In the upstream town of Silvino Lobos, five residents were buried alive when mud and boulders rampaged through their house in Barangay Diit de Suba, a mountain village about 15 kilometers away from the town proper.

The fatalities were identified as Pablo Gallamora, 56; his wife, Violeta, 50; and their grandchildren Junjun Aseron, two; Julius Taco, five; and Langga Taco, 12.

Fourteen-year-old Emmanuel Soriano was reported missing since Dec. 29 when floodwaters washed away his bamboo raft, said Rey Gozon, officer-in-charge of OCD-Eastern Visayas.

Four other villagers were reported missing in Pambujan and Mondragon towns.

Gozun identified the injured as Joel Gallamora, 26, and his wife, Maridel, 21, and Manuel Soriano, 6, all residents of Silvino Lobos, some 40 kilometers away from the capital town of Catarman.

Last Sunday, Chief Superintendent Eliseo de la Paz, regional police director and chairman of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council, reported that five children were killed in flash floods and mudslides in five towns.

Affected by the floods and landslides were the towns of Bobon, San Roque, Mondragon, Pambujan, Las Navas, Lope de Vega, Catubig, and Catarman.

De la Paz said at least 15 houses were washed away in San Roque and Bobon towns, while half of the houses in Barangay Bangkerohan in Catarman were heavily flooded.

Though the rains stopped yesterday, residents, especially those near mountainsides, were warned of possible landslides, De la Paz said.

The Philippine Information Agency said more than 5,000 evacuees in Catarman have safely returned to their homes after floodwaters began subsiding Monday morning.