MANILA, Philippines - The death toll caused by the incessant rains and thunderstorms due to the intertropical convergence zone in Visayas and Mindanao has reached 21, the Office of Civil Defense reported on Friday.
OCD director Manuel Ochotorena said the latest casualty was Cesar Martin of Brgy. Sedem, Datu Blah, Sinsuat, Maguindanao.
Martin was killed during a flashflood coupled with a landslide last Oct. 6, Ochotorena said in a text message.
Authorities are also still trying to locate a certain Kinimi Omar, also of Bryg. Sedem, bringing the missing to three.
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council said that more than 200,000 persons have been affected by the flooding and heavy downpour in the 13 provinces of Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Sultan Kudarat, and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Of the 207,000 people affected, more than 32,000 are still in 46 evacuation centers, the NDRRMC added.