'The whole village was washed away' - Survivors of Philippines tropical storm left utterly devastated

'The whole village was washed away' - Survivors of Philippines tropical storm left utterly devastated

10:32pm

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Source:
Associated Press

Survivors of floods and mudslides caused by tropical storm Tembin in Tugaya Village, Philippines, have told of their despair at the disaster which has killed 30 people and left around 60 others missing in the village.

Tropical storm Tembin killed over 300 people after slamming into the southern Philippines on Saturday.
Source: Associated Press
Tugaya is one of the most remote villages in Mindanao's Tubod City. It was left utterly devastated by a severe mud flow.
Jay Daig is a merchant who hails from the village. Though he has settled down in Cebu City and was not on the scene when the mudslide hit, his property in the village was almost fully destroyed, and many of his acquaintances are still missing.

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"I can't find my servants. My employees, my driver, and their families are all missing. My neighbours disappeared too," he said.
Another villager named Imelda Diag said she had just returned from an event when she heard a loud roar, and described the powerful mudslide as striking the village like a "monster with 20 engines".
"I saw many people carried away by the river, and the whole village was washed away by the flood. Many people died, many people disappeared," she said tearfully, adding that her cousin who lived nearby is among those missing.
The head of the village, Marcelo Diabordo, said that 30 villagers were killed while dozens of others remain unaccounted for.
"I feel very sad. I know all of them. This is a really hard time, I never thought such a thing could happen," he said.
Tembin battered the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Saturday, triggering floods and mudslides across the region and leaving over 300 people dead or missing, according to the Philippine government.