Two French among 11 dead in Philippine flooding

MANILA: -- Two French tourists and nine Filipinos were killed from flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rain north of the Philippine capital, police and officials said Friday.

In addition to the two dead, another French tourist is missing after 12 French and South Korean hikers were caught in heavy rain after scaling Mount Pinatubo volcano on Thursday, said regional police official Chief Superintendent Leo Nilo De La Cruz.

However, six French nationals and three South Koreans were rescued by an air force helicopter.

French embassy consul Arnaut Rayar said he had spoken to the French survivors earlier in the day but "they were too shocked to go into details."

The foreigners had hiked up the volcano, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) northwest of Manila, but after they descended were caught by heavy rain that mixed with volcanic ash on the slopes to form deadly, fast-moving mudslides.

A Filipino guide and a Filipino rescuer were also killed.

The 1,475-metre (4,850-foot) Mount Pinatubo erupted with devastating force in 1991, spewing a plume of ash 30 miles into the sky, killing more than 800 people.

Since then, it has become a popular attraction for mountaineers and hikers.

Meanwhile, in the northern resort city of Baguio, three children were killed after the rain triggered a landslide that buried their shanty town, said local police official Chief Inspector Paul Mencio.

In Zambales province, near Pinatubo, the heavy rain caused a dike to burst, flooding 10 villages and leaving a husband and wife dead, said Governor Amor Deloso.

The floods also washed out a major bridge and forced some 2,100 people to flee their homes for evacuation centres, the Zambales governor said.

He appealed for more assistance, saying some residents were isolated by floods and were forced to climb up trees to avoid the rising waters.

Two other locals died near Pinatubo in separate incidents.

-- AFP 2009-08-07