Philippine capital battles deadly floods

Philippines: More than 800,000 people in and around the Philippine capital battled deadly floods Wednesday as more rain fell, with neck-deep waters trapping slum dwellers and the wealthy elite on rooftops.

Monsoon rains that have pounded Manila for more than a week eased slightly overnight, but the government said between 60 and 80 percent of the megacity was under water, and the bad weather was likely to persist throughout the day.

“The roads in some areas are like rivers. People have to use boats to move around. All the roads and alleys are flooded,” civil defence chief Benito Ramos told AFP.

The death toll in Manila and nearby provinces stood at 16, including nine members of one family who died in a landslide.

The worst hit parts of Manila were mostly the poorest districts, where millions of slum dwellers have built homes along riverbanks, the swampy surrounds of a huge lake, canals and other areas susceptible to flooding.

In Santo Domingo, a creekside shantytown, mother-of-three Anita Alterano recounted how her family escaped the floods that had submerged their one-storey home by walking over the roofs of houses until they reached high ground.

AFP