Four Dead in Philippines Landslides Amid Heavy Rain

At least four people have died in the Philippines after landslides triggered by heavy rain struck the northern part of the country.

The tropical depression, which has brought heavy rain to the main island of Luzon for the past four days, has forced the closure of government offices and schools in the capital and northern provinces.

In the province of Benguet, about a six-hour drive north of Manila, a landslide buried a small restaurant on Thursday, killing three employees. Colonel Dionisio Bonoyal, the provincial police chief, said one person was rescued alive and two others died at the scene.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council confirmed that two more people died in a landslide in the neighboring province of Rizal on Wednesday.

Weather Warning

Government weather forecaster Jonalyn Manalo said the tropical depression, which weakened from a tropical storm, was moving towards the Philippine Sea with winds of up to 55 kilometers per hour. She warned that strong winds could still affect most parts of the country.

The Philippines is the first major landmass that faces the Pacific Ocean’s cyclone belt, with an average of 20 storms and typhoons hitting the country each year. This leaves millions of people in disaster-prone areas in a state of perpetual poverty.

Scientists say human activity is causing climate change, which is making extreme weather events more frequent, longer-lasting, and more intense.