Floodwaters sweep shuttle van, killing 5 in Palawan

Five people died when floodwaters swept away a shuttle van carrying 12 passengers from Bataraza to Puerto Princesa City in Palawan, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).

The vehicle stalled while crossing a flooded road, resulting in seven survivors who are now hospitalized.

Palawan received an unprecedented 341 millimeters of rain within 24 hours, which is about 12 times its usual monthly rainfall, causing severe flooding in Puerto Princesa City and other parts of Southern Palawan.

A state of calamity was declared in Puerto Princesa City due to the massive floods affecting over 3,000 residents, 1,000 farmers, and almost 800 hectares of fields.

The heavy rains forced 2,044 families to evacuate to safer areas or evacuation centers.