Over 51 dead, 280,000 displaced:

Tropical storm lashes Manila

PHILIPPINE: At least 51 people were killed and more than a quarter of a million displaced after tropical storm Ketsana dumped the heaviest rainfall on capital Manila in more than four decades, officials said Sunday. Manila and surrounding areas were lashed with heavy rains for nine hours Saturday, leading to flash floods that inundated about 80 percent of the capital of more than 12 million inhabitants.

The deluge left some areas under up to 20 feet of water, stranding entire families on rooftops and forcing the government to declare a “state of calamity.”

Highways were turned into raging rivers that swept away shanties and cars. Video footage from military helicopters showed desperate residents marooned on rooftops pleading for food and help.

Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, heading the rescue efforts, said 51 people had so far been killed with at least 21 still missing.

More than 4,000 people have so far been rescued, either plucked by helicopters from their homes or by rubber boats but many are still stranded.

Teodoro said the storm had displaced nearly 280,000 people in Manila and five outlying provinces, with more than 41,000 people in 92 evacuation centres. “We are continuing with our rescue operations for those who are still in need, coupled with a massive relief operation,” said Teodoro.

Manila, Sunday, AFP