At least 18 dead, 17 injured in back-to-back storms

At least 18 people have died as Visayas and Southern Luzon weathered the impact of Severe Tropical Storm "Opong" while Northern Luzon is pushing for early recovery due to Super Typhoon "Nando," Tropical Depression "Mirasol," and southwest monsoon (habagat), the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) disclosed Friday, Sept. 26.

- By MARTIN SADONGDONG, TRIXEE ROSEL, ELLALYN DE VERA-RUIZ, MERLINA HERNANDO-MALIPOT, NINO LUCES, and GABRIELL CHRISTEL GALANG

BOGGED DOWN - A Ceres passenger bus is mired in mud after a sudden mudslide hit Patnongon, Antique, on Friday, Sept. 26, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Abril Bente Singko via Tara Yap)

(Abril Bente Singko Tara Yap)

OCD Deputy Administrator Asst. Sec. Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said eight people died in Cagayan, including seven fishermen who drowned when their boat capsized and another one who was struck by fallen debris.

Three people also died in Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) due to landslide and drowning, while three died in Central Luzon (Region 3).

In a virtual press briefing, Bicol Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) Director Claudio Yucot also reported four fatalities in Region 5: three were hit by fallen debris, uprooted tree, and collapsed wall in Masbate; and one was struck by lightning in Camarines Norte.

"Most of the fatalities are still for validation. We also have 17 injured and two missing that we are searching for already," Alejandro said. "We will be closely monitoring the impact of Typhoon Opong as we also recover in Northern Luzon from the effects of Typhoon Nando."

Stranded passengers

More than 7,000 passengers were stranded in 114 seaports while many residents were rescued due to deep flooding as Severe Tropical Storm "Opong" brought heavy rains and strong winds in different parts of the country, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported on Friday, Sept. 26.

PCG spokesperson Captain Noemie Cayabyab said 7,448 passengers were held at ports in the National Capital Region Central Luzon (NCR-CL), Southern Tagalog, Bicol, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Southern Visayas, and Northeastern Mindanao as of 12 noon.