Naguilan, Philippines - The death toll from massive landslides and floods brought about by a typhoon in the northern Philippines climbed Sunday to nearly 300 as rescuers retrieved more bodies from the deluge. Police and local officials said at least 293 people were confirmed killed in the aftermath of typhoon Parma, which slammed into the northern Philippines on October 3 and hit land twice more before moving out into the South China Sea.
In Benguet province alone, police said 151 people were killed in dozens of landslides that buried villages in such towns of La Trinidad, Mankayan and Tublay.
La Trinidad town Mayor Artemio Galwan said rescue teams were continuing search and retrieval operations in the village of Little Kibungan, which was almost wiped out by the landslides.
"The rescuers are still very busy, it's good that the sun has come out," he said. "Rescuers were able to reach many houses that were totally buried in the mud."
Galwan said the town was in need of body bags and caskets for the dead, aside from relief goods for thousands of people who had to leave their homes and stay in evacuation centres.
The death toll also included 83 people killed in landslides and floods in the mountain resort city of Baguio and the adjacent Mountain Province, police said.
Baguio City and dozens of other areas in the northern region of Luzon remained isolated for the past three days as landslides blocked main highways while some roads and bridges collapsed.
Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the government launched "a massive push of assets" to clear roads in affected areas to allow relief teams to reach isolated areas.
"The most important thing is to open up roads so we can send relief goods," he said.
Olivia Luces, a regional director of the Office of Civil Defence, said mud and boulders were making many roads impassable in the northern region.
"Some boulders are as big as vans," she said. "Imagine two vans together, that's how big the boulders are."
Residents in Baguio City said gasoline stations were already rationing fuel, while some stores had closed due to lack of supplies.
"People coming up should bring extra water and make sure their vehicles' fuel tanks are full," said Carmelita Teves, a village councillor in the city.
In Naguilan town in La Union province, which connects to Baguio City, hundreds of people walked barefoot for kilometres to be able to buy supplies.
"We had no more food, no more gas so we had to try our luck," said Alfredo Napigan, who went to the town proper with his wife, daughter and granddaughter. "We bought food, some gas and other supplies."
Napigan said his son's house was completely washed out by mudslides, while his house was partly damaged.
"We are now living with my four grandchildren in half of our house that is still standing," he added.
The National Disaster Coordinating Council said Parma's damage to infrastructure and agriculture has been estimated to cost more than 5 billion pesos (10.8 million dollars).
In nearby Caba town, where 38 people died in landslides, even tombs were destroyed by the avalanche of mud, water and toppled trees.
"Even our dead were not spared by the devastation," said one woman, who was trying to clear sludge that engulfed her father's tomb.
Streets in La Union and nearby Pangasinan province were lined with mud-covered vehicles, appliances and furniture as residents took advantage of the better weather to clean up.
"I just don't know how we are going to recover from this," said 26-year-old Charlie Pajarito, a salesman who was helping his grandfather salvage rice from their inundated farm in Villasis town in Pangasinan.
One week before Parma battered the Philippines, storm Ketsana dumped more than one month's worth of rain in Manila and outlying areas, causing the worst floods in over 40 years.
At least 337 people were killed in Ketsana's onslaught and more than 4 million were affected by the devastation. Nearly 300,000 people were still staying in evacuation centres, raising concerns over health and sanitation.
