Two female police officers and young girl first victims of typhoon Ompong

typhoon Ompong
The police report of the first casualties of typhoon Ompong.

Two emergency service personnel and a young girl have become the first recorded casualties of typhoon Ompong.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council executive director Ricardo Jaladhe said the two rescue workers were called out to landslides in the Cordillera Administrative Region.

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“We are able to confirm that two people have died rescuing affected residents. Those are the initial reports only and as we go on, this number may increase,” he said at 3pm today (Saturday, September 15).

The Philippine National Police identified the two victims as 19-year-old Shaina Pascua and 45-year-old Grace Ganabe, both from Baguio City.

The PNP also said that a girl aged somewhere between nine and 12 years old was found floating in the Marikina River under the Javier Bridge in Pasig City.

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Aside from these three deaths, the police have also recorded two people missing in Benguet.

At least four injuries have also reported – two in Marikina City and two in Baguio City.

No casualty has been recorded so far in Baggao, Cagayan, where the typhoon (international name: Mangkhut) first made landfall at 1.40am this morning.

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The typhoon has affected at least 34,808 families as of 3pm today.

Meanwhile, thousands of passengers remain stranded in Northern Samar and Bohol as authorities barred sea travel due to the typhoon.

At least 1,008 passengers bound for Luzon and Metro Manila could not leave the two ports in Northern Samar, said Rei Josiah Echano, provincial disaster risk reduction management officer.

Of that number, 299 were stranded in Balwhartico terminal and 520 in Jubasan terminal, both in Allen town.

At least 189 passengers were still at the port in San Isidro town in Northern Samar.

Asked when the boats would be allowed to sail, Echano said: “It depends on the calibration of the Philippine Coast Guard but as of this moment, there is no order to lift the suspension because the waters are still very rough and there is still a gale warning.”

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