The number of deaths continues to rise as search and retrieval operations are underway

MANILA, Philippines – The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) raised to 75 as of Tuesday, January 1, the number of fatalities of Tropical Depression Usman though it said they were still validating the deaths reported. The tropical depression, locally named Usman, brought heavy rains on Saturday, causing catastrophic flooding and triggering deadly landslides, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management agency said Monday. The people, including a three-year-old boy, were reported dead as of Sunday morning, said disaster agency spokesman Edgar Posadas, after a tropical cyclone barrelled through the eastern Visayas and Bicol regions on Saturday. According to data from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the low pressure area which used to be Tropical Depression Usman dumped large volumes of rainfall in parts of Luzon and the Visayas in just two days.
At least 69 people are reported dead from flooding caused by Tropical Depression Usman in the Philippines.