Queenie exits Phl; LPA to bring rains in Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines - Tropical Storm Queenie left the Philippine area of responsibility Friday night, even as another low-pressure area moved closer to the country, state weather forecasters said yesterday.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the low-pressure area off Mindanao was spotted 150 kilometers east of Davao City as of 10 a.m. yesterday.

The low-pressure area is expected to bring moderate to heavy rains and thunderstorms over Davao, Caraga and eastern Visayas, while the rest of the Visayas and Mindanao is expected to experience moderate rainshowers and thunderstorms.

The state weather bureau warned the public of possible flashfloods and landslides in the affected regions.

PAGASA senior weather forecasters Robert Sawi and Rene Paciente earlier said the low-pressure area has a slim chance of intensifying into a tropical cyclone.

4 dead

Queenie has left four people dead, eight missing and two injured in six regions in the Visayas and Mindanao, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported.

At least 2,773 families or 12,679 persons were affected in Southern Tagalog, the Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao and the Caraga region.

Cesar dela Cerna, 49, a resident of Liloan; Alona Baldado, 49, of Barangay Sto. Nino, Malabuyoc in Cebu; Robinson Cebellos, 32, of Bunga Mar, Jagna in Bohol; and Roque Sandoval, a fisherman from Mindanao, drowned at the height of the storm. – With Jaime Laude, Danny Dangcalan