The Civil Defense Office pointed out that one of the fatal victims is a 14-year-old village girl who ran with her father to the river bank to rescue her farm animals under heavy rainfall and was swept away by the strong currents.

According to the source, the father is still missing somewhere in the city of Norala, in Cotabato del Sur province.

The coast guard rescued the residents who were trapped in the flooded houses.

Over 2,600 people were displaced, most of them due to floods, in 18 southern villages, including some 600 Filipinos who moved to evacuation centers.

Authorities said that more spaces were needed to house evacuated people, as a measure to prevent a coronavirus outbreak.

Likewise, over 3,000 passengers and cargo handlers were stranded in center and southern seaports after the coast guard suspended sea travel due to this weather phenomenon.

Choi-wan hit the southwestern part of central Masbate province on Wednesday with sustained winds of 65 km/h and gusts of up to 90 km/h. The storm is expected to weaken and become a tropical depression on Thursday morning.

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