MANILA: A total of 25 people are still missing, the national disaster response agency announced on Wednesday, raising the death toll to 25 from flooding and heavy rain that lashed parts of the Philippines over the Christmas weekend.
According to the National Council for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, approximately 400,000 people were affected, of whom more than 81,000 are still living in shelters. Nine other people also received injuries.
According to the council, 12 of the 26 missing are from the eastern Bicol region, while 16 of the 25 deaths occurred in the northern Mindanao region in the south.
Also Read: Iranian found dead in French River suicide investigation launched
According to the national weather service PAGASA, parts of the eastern, central and southern Philippines received rain as a result of the shear line, where warm and cold air masses collide.
Images from the southern province of Misamis Occidental showed an elderly woman being carried on a plastic chair through a flooded road. Weather disturbances disrupted Christmas celebrations in the affected provinces. Some provincial residents were seen clinging to floating objects as Coast Guard rescuers pulled them through chest-deep flooding.
Also Read: Gretchen Whitmer's kidnapping plot co-leader is sentenced to 16 years in prison
According to the Disaster Management Council, 123 roads, 12 bridges and 1,196 houses were damaged by the floods. There are still some areas where there is no water or electricity.
Although the effect of the shear line has subsided, a new low pressure area could bring moderate to heavy rain to areas affected by Christmas weekend flooding within the next 24 hours. According to the weather service, landslides and flooding are likely, especially in areas that have received a lot of rain recently.
Also Read: The Supreme Court continues to enforce immigration restrictions
One of the countries most vulnerable to natural disasters, the Philippines is affected by about 20 typhoons and storms annually. The archipelago is located on the "Ring of Fire", a region of the Pacific Ocean's rim that experiences frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.