Seven dead, thousands evacuated as 'Kristine' batters Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine rescuers waded through chest-deep floodwaters Wednesday to reach residents trapped by Tropical Storm Kristine (International name: Trami), which has killed seven people and forced thousands to evacuate as it barrels toward the east coast.

Torrential rain driven by the storm has turned streets into rivers, submerged entire villages and buried some vehicles in volcanic sediment set loose by the downpour.

At least 32,000 people have fled their homes in the northern Philippines, police said, as the storm edges closer to the Southeast Asian country's main island of Luzon.

In the Bicol region, about 400 kilometers (249 miles) southeast of the capital Manila, "unexpectedly high" flooding was complicating rescue efforts, said police.

"We sent police rescue teams but they struggled to enter some areas because the flooding was high and the current was so strong," regional police spokeswoman Luisa Calubaquib told AFP.

One person drowned inside a bus that was swept away by floodwaters in the Bicol city of Naga, where three others also drowned, police officer Bryan Ortinero told AFP.

An elderly woman drowned in Quezon province southeast of the capital, while a toddler was also killed after falling into a flooded canal, police said.

Manila's civil defense office reported one person was killed by a falling tree branch.

As of 2 pm (0600 GMT), Kristine's center was 160 kilometers east of Luzon's Aurora province with maximum sustained winds of 85 kilometers per hour, the national weather agency said.

It was expected to smash into the northeastern coast near the town of Divilacan at 11 pm (1500 GMT).

Photos verified by AFP on Wednesday showed streets submerged by muddy floodwaters in Camarines Sur province's Bato municipality, with only the roofs of houses and convenience stores visible.

"It's getting dangerous. We're waiting for rescuers," resident Karen Tabagan told AFP.

In Naga, about 40 kilometers from Bato, half of the 600 villages were fully submerged by flooding.

At an emergency meeting of government agencies Wednesday morning, President Ferdinand Marcos said that "the worst is yet to come".

"I'm feeling a little helpless here because... all