Trees felled by Storm Ferdie kill 6

MANILA, Philippines — Falling trees killed six people after Tropical Storm Ferdie (international name Bebinca) and the southwest monsoon brought strong winds and floods, officials said yesterday.

Four children on the way home from school in Malabang municipality in Lanao del Sur died when a huge tree fell on the tricycle they were riding during the storm, municipal police chief Christina Obina told AFP.

“The wind was so strong, causing the tree to be uprooted,” Obina said.

In Zamboanga peninsula, a two-year-old girl and a woman were killed in separate incidents after trees fell on their houses, regional disaster official Angelito Casinillo told AFP.

The national disaster council said at least 11 people were injured in the Bangsamoro Region and Soccsksargen, while two were reported missing in Western Visayas and in Zamboanga peninsula.

A total of 203,197 people or 47,166 families in 292 barangays nationwide were affected by tropical storm Ferdie.

Of the affected people, 36,626 were displaced, 13,825 remained inside evacuation centers, while 22,801 are seeking temporary shelter.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) also rescued 1,206 people who were trapped by the heavy flooding in Negros Occidental.

Ferdie slammed into the central and southern Philippines on Friday before leaving the country before dawn on Saturday.

Meanwhile, after 15 days of searching, the 15 fishermen of FBCA Zshan that encountered inclement weather due to storm Enteng near the Philippine Rise, still remain missing.

As of 4 p.m. on Saturday, the PCG’s sub-stations in Cagayan, Quezon and Northern Quezon continued to conduct search and rescue operations, with the hope of a sighting or information on the whereabouts of the missing fishermen.