ZAMBOANGA CITY: Hundreds of families have been affected by flash floods triggered by heavy rains the past days in the southern Philippines, authorities said Friday.
In Davao City, more than 1,500 people have been evacuated after the Balusong River dangerously rose to its maximum limit. It was the second time this year that civilians were forced to evacuate their villages near the river.
In June more than three dozen people were killed after heavy rains overflowed the river and triggered flash floods. At least five villages were underwater, some as high as 20 meters, and affected thousands of families.
The river had overflowed during heavy rains in the past. But the June calamity submerged four areas where the 150-km river traverses.
In Maguindanao province, floods displaced some 30,000 people after tons of water hyacinths clogged the Rio Grande de Mindanao River in Cotabato City causing it to overflow.
There were no reports of casualties or injuries, but the flash floods submerged many villages in Maguindanao, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.
The river also overflowed in June after tons of water hyacinths were swept away by heavy rains and flash floods from the Liguasan marsh. The floods also affected the neighboring provinces of North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat.
