Floods leave 4 dead in northern Philippines

Floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains have hit large parts of the northern Philippines, leaving at least four people dead and thousands displaced, the government says.

Government civil defense officers, whose names were not mentioned in reports, said on Sunday that a six-month-old boy, who was buried by a landslide in the province of Pangasinan, was among the victims of the natural disaster.

According to the officials, the floods have left roads impassable, and led to the evacuation of approximately 3,000 people in the affected areas.

In another development on Sunday, Herminio Coloma, a spokesman for Philippine’s President Benigno Aquino, said that social welfare and relief agencies are delivering aid to those in trouble, while the Public Works Department is preparing to repair the buildings damaged in the flooding.

The government weather station has also issued a warning, saying that “monsoon rains which may trigger flash floods and landslides will be experienced” in the northern Philippines on Sunday.

A total of 4,804 families have been affected by the recent flooding in the Southeast Asian country, latest reports say.

The Philippines is struck by some 20 storms and typhoons each year. Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the central Philippines in November 2013, was one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded as it left more than 7,350 people dead or missing.