Manila - Three children were killed in landslides and floods in the Philippines as a tropical depression dumped heavy rains in northern and central provinces, the government said Wednesday. The National Disaster Coordinating Council said two girls aged 3 and 5 were buried in a landslide late Tuesday in Calamba City, 45 kilometres south of Manila.
The victims were asleep inside their shanty when the landslide occurred. One of the child died on the spot while the other was declared dead on arrival in the nearby hospital.
The girls' shack was located on a riverbank at the foot of a mountainous area in the village of Real, the council said.
In northern Pampanga province, a 7-year-old girl drowned in floods in San Fernando City on Tuesday, the council said.
A 19-year-old woman remained missing in Manila's suburban Quezon City after she fell into a swollen creek, while a 2-year-old girl and a 59-year-old woman also went missing after they were swept by floods in the provinces of Pampanga and Bulacan.
A wide area of the country has been experiencing heavy monsoon rains since last week. The weather bureau said a tropical depression north-west of the Philippines was enhancing the south-west monsoon and triggering more rainfall.
Nearly 150,000 people have been affected by floods and landslides caused by the bad weather, the council said. More than 4,000 people fled their homes to shelter in evacuation centers.
