Two dead, six missings as torrential rains lash the Philippines

 

July 23, 2012 –  MANILA – Two people were killed and six others are missing in the Philippines as floods inundated parts of Manila and nearby areas while a storm tore through the country’s north, authorities said on Saturday. The civil defense office said rescuers are on standby to help residents evacuate if necessary as creeks and open sewers in the capital overflowed from overnight rains, swamping nearby slums and causing traffic jams. The rains began to ease by midday after plunging some areas in knee-deep waters, but civil defense chief Benito Ramos said he could not rule out further flooding as runoff from nearby mountains descends into Manila Bay. “All that rain up there would eventually find their way here,” he told AFP, referring to the mountains to the east of Manila. –Strait Times