Five dead, two missing as Tropical Storm Fengshen soaks Philippines

Tropical Storm Fengshen is moving through the Philippines, causing extensive flooding on Luzon’s main island and a massive landslide on Mindanao’s southern island, killing at least five people and leaving two others without.

According to Philippine disaster agency officials in the town of Pitogo, where the incident occurred, five members of a family, including two children, were killed early on Sunday when a tree fell on their bamboo house in Quezon province, in the north of the nation.

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Officials’ social media postings showed the house being crushed by a large palm tree as a rescue team removed the family’s bodies.

A teenage boy was the only one to survive the accident in Pitogo, which was located about 153 kilometers (95 miles) southeast of Manila, according to a statement posted on social media.

As of Sunday afternoon, Fengshen hovered over Luzon, which is located just south of Manila, over the course of more than a dozen flights. The storm reportedly is heading Westward in the South China Sea.

According to officials in southeast Luzon, at least 47, 000 people have since left their homes for government-designated temporary shelters, according to the AFP news agency. According to the national weather agency, Pagasa, at least five Luzon island dams opened their gates on Sunday to release water.

Authorities on Samar and Panay, in the center of the Philippines, reported extensive flooding that forced residents to flee.

According to the ABS-CBN news website, one person was seriously injured in the town of Estancia on Panay Island when his wooden house collapsed.

On October 19, Rumagasa ang baha sa ilang barangay sa Calbayog City, Samar dahil sa hagupit ng bagyong #RamilPH sa lugar ngayong Linggo. via Ranulfo Docdocan

Reymark Espinosa is the image’s source. twitter.com/dJAV5eOdZo

Translation: As of Sunday, October 19 Tropical Storm Ramil [Fengshen] spewed rageing floodwaters over several Samar-areas of Calbayog City.

Two people were reported missing after their motorized three-wheeled vehicle slammed off a highway following a significant landslide caused by the heavy rains in the province of Bukidnon in Mindanao.

The highway, which links Bukidnon and the nearby Davao region, is currently closed off, according to officials from the government.

Scientists warn that extreme weather events are getting worse as the planet warms as a result of human-driven climate change. On average, the Philippines experiences about 20 storms and typhoons annually.

Fengshen also comes as the Philippines began to recover from a string of significant earthquakes that have claimed the lives of at least 87 people.