Tornado destroys 19 houses in Zamboanga del Sur

ZAMBOANGA City, Philippines - At least 19 houses were destroyed after a tornado struck a village in San Pablo town, Zamboanga del Sur, according to the police Friday.

Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, spokesman of Police Regional Office 9 (PRO), said the tornado swept through Barangay Marcos Village at around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and destroyed a cluster of houses made of light materials.

Men from the San Pablo Municipal police station immediately responded to the area and conducted a search and rescue mission for the affected residents.

Huesca said that close to 100 affected residents were evacuated to the town center. He said no one was hurt by the tornado.

The local government has yet to make an estimate of the tornado's damage to the village.

Meanwhile, a flashflood submerged Sitio Timulan, Barangay Nazareth in Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay on Thursday morning.

The flashflood caused by incessant rains damaged a house and destroyed crops in the hamlet.