MANILA: Rescue teams in the northern Philippines raced on Saturday (October 26) to reach people stranded in inaccessible areas due to flooding. Tropical Storm TramiIt displaced nearly half a million people and killed at least 87.

Residents trapped on the roofs and upper floors of their homes in the hard-hit Bicol region are still waiting for urgently needed help, officials told AFP.

“The floods have not subsided yet. Calls for help are still pouring in here,” regional police chief Andre Dizon told AFP.

“We need to rescue them as soon as possible because hunger could be a problem. We are already hearing reports of children falling ill.”

He added that in the region’s Camarines Sur province, food and drinking water supplies are increasingly diminishing as some areas are completely submerged and access is difficult.

President Ferdinand Marcos visited the area on Saturday to survey the damage before meeting with provincial officials.

Meanwhile, Trami’s death toll increased; The majority of deaths occurred in Bicol and Batangas provinces south of Manila.