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SULTAN KUDARAT, Maguindanao (MindaNews / 9 Oct) – A 10-hour downpour affected more than 10,000 residents here and flooded sections of the Cotabato-Parang highway, stranding hundreds of commuters today (Oct. 9), disaster officials said.
Maguindanao provincial disaster and rescue officer Mauricio Civiles said they deployed rescuers and Army trucks to Barangays Bulalo and Salimbao in Sultan Kudarat after residents raised alarm when flood waters swamped their houses at about 5 a.m.
He said the situation however stabilized later in the morning and rescuers decided not to go ahead with the evacuation.[]
“Still more than 10,000 people were affected and we decided to deploy rubber boats just in case the rains will continue,” Civiles said.
The rains also flooded sections of the Cotabato-Parang highway and resulted to a vehicular pile up that stretched for kilometers on both sides.[]
“We were rescued by an Army truck who brought us to the other side of the highway not affected by the flood,” said Davao journalist David Jay Santos, who came to Cotabato City to attend a conference.
Civiles said low-lying villages in the Maguindanao towns of Sharif Kabuntalan, Datu Piang and Datu Salibo were also flooded.[]
