Philippine rescue teams on Thursday rushed aid to thousands of residents displaced and cut off by landslides and floods in eastern and southern provinces that have killed 26 people, as dpa reported. The military dispatched soldiers, helicopters and boats to the affected areas, while local disaster risk management teams distributed relief goods. In the eastern province of Southern Leyte, the air force launched a rescue mission for 40 people trapped in two isolated villages in St Bernard town. St Bernard Mayor Rico Rentuza said the victims included children and elderly who have not been able to get help since the rains caused floods and landslides last week. The Office of Civil Defence said 26 people were killed in the landslides and floods that affected nearly half a million people in 20 eastern and southern provinces. It added that more than 18,000 people were forced to stay in evacuation centres. The fatalities included five children buried in landslides or drowned in floods in Southern Leyte, including St Bernard town where a massive landslide killed more than 1,000 people in 2006. Fourteen people were also killed in the landslides and floods in the southern provinces of Agusan and Surigao, three in Albay, three in Compostela Valley and one in Lanao del Norte. The weather bureau said the bad weather was caused by the tail-end of a cold front. It added that there was no cyclone affecting the Philippines.
