Philippine typhoon death toll rises to 37

The death toll in the Philippines from Typhoon Saola has risen to 37 and is expected to go even higher as new rains worsened flooding, the government said on Friday.

Monsoon rains continued to batter the northern and central parts of the Philippines with some towns remaining flooded for the sixth day in a row, despite the typhoon having moved away from the archipelago.

Earlier reports said 23 had been killed but civil defence chief Benito Ramos said more deaths had been reported, including 11 youths who drowned in four different parts of the country on Thursday.

"They were probably enjoying the big waves, riding on them. They did not expect a storm surge," he told AFP.

The death toll is likely to go even higher, he added, citing four more swimmers who went missing in the north.

The Ramos-led National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said that although Saola had passed, it was still enhancing the monsoon rains and warned of continued possible flash floods and landslides.

In the coastal districts near Manila, knee-high floods persisted Friday, said Jeremy de Ocampo of the capital's flood control office.

"They are right beside Manila Bay and when high tide comes, they are flooded," he told AFP.

Although Saola did not hit the Philippines directly, it caused heavy rains and rough waters in a wide swath of the country, flooding parts of Manila and surrounding areas.

A Philippine gold mining firm said Friday waste had leaked from one of its mines due to heavy rains, forcing the government to shut down production.

Chief mining regulator Leo Jasareno said the government was assessing the potential hazards posed by the tailings spill at the Padcal mine, though Philex Mining, the country's top gold mining firm, denied the discharge was toxic.

"We have issued a suspension order on the mine," Jasareno told AFP by telephone as he drove to the mine, located near the northern mountain resort of Baguio. There were no reported casualties.

"Philex is exerting its maximum effort to address the accidental discharge, and has mobilised the requisite resources in this regard," the company said in a statement.

Philex vice president for corporate affairs Mike Toledo said bad weather was hampering company efforts to assess the extent of the damage and said it had no timetable for resuming operations.

"I think we'll still be able to reach our (production) targets," Toledo told AFP when asked if the shutdown would affect the company's profitability.

The listed company's shares plunged 6.71 percent to 20.15 pesos (48 US cents) in morning trading Friday as it disclosed the suspension of mine operations. Padcal is Philex's only producing gold mine.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/philippine-typhoon-death-toll-rises-37-062157511.html

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