Laguna lake tragedy: Egay death toll now at 25

At least 25 people, including children, died in the Laguna Lake tragedy, while 40 others were injured, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Those 25 people drowned after their boat on Laguna Lake was overturned by strong winds and big waves whipped up by Typhoon “Egay” and the southwest monsoon or ‘habagat.’

The Rizal provincial police office revealed that the MBCA Princess Aya capsized around 50 yards away from Barangay Kalinawan in Binangonan, a 1st class municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines. Rhonnie Ariola, the officer in charge of the municipal police station, said that the authorities rescued around 40 people. 

According to the Philippine News Agency, the tragic incident took place around 1 am. People inside the MBCA Princess Aya were struggling because of the strong winds. Reportedly, two crew members were among those who drowned in the Laguna Lake.

The typhoon also caused flooding across five regions and over a dozen rain-induced landslides, leading to 11 deaths. Reportedly, four people died in the Cordillera Region, three died in Ilocos Sur province, one died in the Calabarzon Region and three individuals died in Negros Occidental. With this, the typhoon death toll has risen to 36, as reported by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. 

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said that typhoon Egay, internationally known as typhoon Doksuri, gained super typhoon strength as it entered the Philippines. 

The council claimed that the typhoon affected 382,385 people in 11 regions in the country. According to the Philippine weather bureau, the storm made rainfall near Fuga Island. 

The governor of Cagayan province, Manuel Mamba, said that over 12,000 people impacted by the typhoon were evacuated from coastal and mountain towns.

Manuel Mamba also said, “It’s a powerful typhoon and we want to take as many preemptive measures as possible.”