NDRRMC: ‘Mina’ death toll now 14, most due to landslides

The death toll from tropical cyclone “Mina" (Nanmadol) rose to 14 at noon Monday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said. NDRRMC head Benito Ramos said one of the latest fatalities was an Ilocos Norte landslide victim who was initially reported as missing. “Bale 14 na ito (patay), 21 ang injured, walo pa ang missing (We now have 14 fatalities, 21 injured, and eight missing)," he said in an interview on dzBB radio. He said one of the fatalities was a three-year-old child identified as Mark Lester, while the other was initially reported missing. Citing initial reports reaching him, Ramos said the three-year-old child drowned in Sinait town in Ilocos Sur. He said most of the fatalities were buried in a landslide, and that most of these landslide fatalities were from Cordillera. “Mina" battered Northern Luzon over the weekend and is now on its way to Taiwan. On the other hand, Ramos said it was “ironic" that there was no casualty reported in Cagayan Valley, where “Mina" had made landfall. Most of the casualties were in Ilocos and Cordillera, he said. “Ironically and direct hit ni ‘Mina’ sa Cagayan Valley walang namatay. Sa Cordillera at Ilocos meron tayong missing, injured at patay. Magandang pangitain ito sa Cagayan Valley," he said. (Ironically, the cyclone made landfall over Cagayan Valley but there has been no report of deaths, injuries or missing from that region. So far, most of the reported casualties are in Cordillera and Ilocos.) In Cagayan, provincial social welfare officer Bonifacio Cuarteros said that while there was damage to property in 14 towns, there was no casualty. “Ang casualties naman napakaswerte natin, zero casualty sa probinsya ng Cagayan (As far as casualties, we are lucky, we have zero casualties so far in Cagayan)," he said in a separate interview on dzBB. - KBK, GMA News