3 dead in Zambo City flashfloods

ZAMBOANGA CITY - Three persons have been confirmed dead while thousands were displaced by flashfloods that struck at least 13 villages in the city, the local disaster response unit said Tuesday.

Adriano Fuego, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense, identified one of the fatalities as a certain Mrs. Torres, whose body was found along with her housemaid by rescue volunteers in Barangay San Jose Gusu.

Fuego said that the two victims could have panicked while trying to escape the flashflood that struck their village. He said the flood in the area went as deep as four feet.

He said a male teenager also died from drowning while trying to swim a swelling river in Baramgay Tumaga on Sunday.

Fuego said they have yet to determine how many houses were affected by the flashfloods that struck 13 low-lying villages in the city.

He said the military and the police, as well as the Philippine Coast Guard, have mobilized their personnel to help in the search and rescue operations in the city.

Classes in all levels in the city have been suspended due to the floods.

The flashfloods struck as the city was just starting to recover from the 22-day standoff between the military and the Nur Misuari-faction of the Moro National Liberation Front.

More than 10,000 houses were damaged as the rebels torched communities during the standoff, which also displaced thousands of residents in at least five villages.