Flash floods in central, southern Philippines kill 2, displace thousands

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Two girls crossing a bridge on a central Philippine island were swept to their deaths by flash floods that also displaced thousands of others, an official said Tuesday. The floods brought by Tropical Storm Rammasun prompted the evacuation of 2,655 people from Ilog town in Negros Occidental province, said Social Welfare Department officer Liane Garcia. She said the two girls, both aged 15, died Monday when a sudden rush of floodwater swept them away. In the southern Philippines, weeklong rains caused several rivers and tributaries to overflow, forcing thousands to temporarily abandon their homes, local officials said. Rammasun, which developed east of the country in the Philippine Sea, was dissipating quickly as it moved south of Tokyo, Japan, forecasters said.