Tropical Storm Basyang Kills 4 in Mindanao Floods

Tropical Storm Basyang struck northern Mindanao in the southern Philippines on Thursday, triggering landslides and severe flooding that killed at least four people and displaced thousands across several provinces, disaster officials reported Friday.

The storm made landfall late Thursday in Surigao del Sur province after crossing from the Pacific Ocean, bringing heavy rains and winds of up to 55 kilometers per hour. By Friday noon, it had weakened as it moved northwest toward central island provinces, with forecasters expecting it to become a tropical depression later in the day. The wide rain and wind band, spanning 660 kilometers, affected areas ahead of the typical storm season, exacerbating risks in a region prone to such events.

In Cagayan de Oro City, a landslide triggered by torrential downpours buried a family's shanty in Barangay Agusan late Thursday, killing a couple, their 13-year-old child, and an 11-month-old infant, according to the Office of Civil Defense regional director Antonio Sugarol. Flooding inundated multiple barangays in the city, forcing residents to seek higher ground. Officials noted that the quarry area near the home had been vulnerable to such slides...