Death toll from Philippine tropical storm Tembin rises to 200: police

The death toll from mudslides and flooding triggered by tropical storm Tembin has risen to 200, police said here late Saturday night.


Tembin has also left dozens of others missing as it has been pounding the southern Philippines and dumping torrential rains in its way since early Friday.

In a report, Superintendent Lemuel Gonda of the provincial Philippine National Police (PNP) said 135 people have died in Northern Mindanao and 47 in Zamboanga Peninsula during the storm.

Rescue teams have yet to reach some of the affected areas on Mindanao island.

About 150 people are still missing after Storm Tembin swept through the region, with another 70,000 displaced from their homes.

The rescue effort is being hampered by continuing heavy rain, power cuts and blocked roads.

In the early hours of Sunday, Tembin, known as Vinta in the Philippines, was south of the Spratly Islands, heading towards southern Vietnam. It had gathered strength, with maximum winds of 120km/h (75 mph).
 chinamedia,cn, bbc
 24/12/17
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