Raging floods destroy footbridge in Koronadal

KORONADAL CITY, Philippines - A local Ilonggo peasant enclave has been isolated since Tuesday night after rampaging floodwaters destroyed a footbridge connecting the area to the city proper.

Villagers in southwest of Barangay Paulino Santos cannot reconstruct the footbridge until floodwaters in the river recede.

The river underneath the footbridge was swelled by heavy rains two days before.

The local government had earlier committed P70 million for the replacement of the structure with a bigger and more durable bridge.

Several barangays here were hit by flashfloods last July, spawned by heavy rains that caused rivers to swell and spread through nearby villages.

A concrete, multi-million bridge connecting two farming districts here was swept away by the floods, which also ravaged vast swaths of rice and corn fields.