5 reported dead due to shear line, ITCZ - OCD

Metro Manila, Philippines - Five people died from the impact of the shear line and the intertropical convergence zone, the Office of the Civil Defense said.

As of Jan. 3, government data showed two individuals remain missing, while 20 others were injured.

The OCD said these incidents were from Mimaropa, Eastern Visayas, and Zamboanga Peninsula.

Over 430,000 people  – equivalent to 139,000 families – were affected by weather disturbances in the Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao due to flooding and landslides caused by intense rainfall from the shear line, OCD administrator and Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said in a press statement.

A thousand houses have also been damaged in Eastern Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula, the agency said.

The OCD directed regional offices to carry out disaster response protocols and ensure that all communities are fully prepared.