BULACAN, Philippines — The bodies of the five missing local rescuers were found on Monday, September 26, after they had drowned while helping flood-ravaged villages in San Miguel, Bulacan.
The fatalities were from the Bulacan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).
Members of the PDDRMO were dispatched to the barangay of Tigpalas and Samias at around 4 a.m. to help save stranded residents.
According to Mayor Roderick Tiongson of San Miguel, communication with the five PDRRMO officials was lost when the floodwaters in these locations rose to almost 6 feet.
Karding made its first landfall as a super typhoon in Burdeos, Quezon, late Sunday afternoon, September 25. It made another landfall as a typhoon in Dingalan, Aurora. Then it went through Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, and Zambales before coming out over the coast of Zambales early on September 26.
Intense winds and heavy rain from Tropical Storm Karding hit the Philippines and whipped Central Luzon. Northern and Southern Luzon were also impacted.