Philippine Capital Submerged By Torrential Rain, At Least 23 Dead

After nearly 12 days of relentless torrential rains, nearly half of the Philippine capital of Manila is now submerged in water as high as three meters (nearly 10 feet), disaster officials said on Wednesday. At least 23 people are confirmed dead.

The widespread flooding caused more than 700,000 people in the Philippine capital and surrounding regions to flee their now inundated homes. The recent round of rain, which began on Sunday, is expected to gradually abate throughout the rest of the week.

“We’re still on a rescue mode,” Benito Ramos, head of the Philippine government’s main disaster-response agency, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. “Floods are receding in many areas but people are still trapped on their roofs.”

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center said that a landslide in the Manila suburb Quezon City killed nine people and injured four others. Authorities are continuing to urge residents in low-lying areas prone to landslides and flooding to evacuate to higher ground.

CNN reports:

“As well as the deaths in the landslide in Quezon City, two people died from electrocution and drowning outside the Manila region, the disaster agency said early Wednesday.”

The recent flooding in Manila is the worst since 2009, when hundreds were killed by rampaging flash floods.

[Image credit: Jay Directo / AFP]