2 dead, 5 missing as 'Maring' dumps heavy rains

In Laguna's Calamba town, flash floods swept away at least one house along the bank of the swollen San Cristobal River. Five people are missing, while eight others including five children were rescued, said disaster response official Noriel Habana.

 

Twenty-two passengers of a bus stranded in floodwaters were rescued in Quezon Province, officials said.

 

A stronger typhoon, "Talim," is located 865 kilometers east of the Philippines northern tip and is moving toward Taiwan and eastern China. PAGASA, however, said the typhoon is not directly affecting the Philippines.

 

Typhoon Talim is due to make landfall on Taiwan late Wednesday and officials there were especially concerned about the risk of mudslides in mountainous parts of the island. Taiwan's central government was contacting the heads of mountain villages, arranging free evacuations to shelters, monitoring rivers and mudslide-prone areas. — with reports from AP