20 people drown in central, southern Philippines

While the northern part of the Philippines is being hit by Typhoon Nari (local name Santi), death toll in central and southern parts of the country due to flooding rose to 20, a senior government official said Friday. National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) executive director Eduardo del Rosario said that the victims died due to drowning, while two people were reported missing after they were swept away by flash flood in Mabinay town, central province of Negros Oriental. More than 44,400 families or 207,900 individuals were affected in 193 villages in the 13 provinces, he added. For Negros Oriental alone, the estimated cost of damage to infrastructure already reached to 44 million pesos (about 1.02 million U.S. dollars) while for agriculture, 42.3 million pesos ( about 978, 035 U.S. dollars), Del Rosario said. Massive flooding has been affecting Visayas and Mindanao regions due to continuous rains and thunderstorms brought by intertropical convergence zone.