GWACHEON, South Korea: At least five people were killed and 37 others injured when a fire broke out at a noise-barrier tunnel in Gwacheon, south of Seoul Thursday. Fire authorities said the blaze started after a bus and a truck collided at 1:49 p.m. inside the noise tunnel in Gwacheon along the Second Gyeongin Expressway that connects the western port city of Incheon to Seongnam City. The fire quickly spread to the tunnel causing massive clouds of flames and smoke, authorities added. Rescuers found five people dead inside vehicles, including those involved in the collision. Thirty-seven others sustained injuries, three of them are in serious condition. President Yoon Suk Yeol instructed the government to thoroughly search the site of the incident to ensure there are no additional casualties and to provide full medical assistance to those who were rescued, deputy presidential spokesperson Lee Jae-myoung said. Yoon also called for a thorough analysis of the cause of the damage, measures to prevent a recurrence of similar accidents and an immediate inspection of noise tunnels and similar facilities, Lee said. A total of 94 fire trucks, 219 fire personnel and helicopters were sent to the scene. The fire was completely put out at 4:12 p.m Source: Philippines News Agency

TACLOBAN CITY: Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Eduardo Punay led on Thursday the distribution of assistance to families affected by heavy rains and floods due to the shear line during the holidays.

 

Punay supervised the giving of financial help, under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program, and family food packs (FFPs) worth PHP2.6 million to about 1,030 families in the town of Llorente, Eastern Samar.

 

Each family received PHP2,000 cash assistance and a box of FFP.

 

Accompanied by Assistant Secretary for Visayas Affairs Ma. Evelyn Macapobre and key officials from DSWD regional office, Punay visited the province to check the plight of affected families.

 

He also paid a courtesy visit to Llorente, Eastern Samar Mayor Daniel Boco to discuss the status of their disaster response operations since the town is one of the areas badly hit by floods.

 

Meanwhile, the DSWD continues its provision of augmentation assistance to local government units in Bicol Region, Visayas, and Mindanao to ensure that displaced families will have enough relief aid.

 

On Dec. 28, DSWD officials from the main office visited Gingoog City Mayor Erick Cañosa for the distribution of financial assistance and relief items to over 1,000 families in the city.

 

On Thursday, the DSWD in Region 10 (Northern Mindanao) also delivered 3,000 FFPs to the provincial government of Misamis Occidental for distribution to the affected families and individuals.

 

Quick response teams of DSWD in the region are also assisting concerned local governments in the validation and assessment of their affected constituents.

 

The DSWD field office in Caraga facilitated the delivery of 1,786 FFPs and 2,999 FFPs to the local governments of Gigaquit and Bacuag in Surigao del Norte, respectively.

 

As of Dec. 28, the DSWD has augmented food and non-food items worth more than PHP16 million to local governments in Regions 5 (Bicol), 6 (Western Visayas), 8 (Eastern Visayas), 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), 10 (Northern Mindanao), 11 (Davao Region) and Caraga.

 

Based on the latest data, a total of 22,292 displaced families or 91,874 persons are staying in 328 evacuation centers in five affected regions while 19,449 families or 86,690 individuals are temporarily staying with their relatives or friends.

 

The DSWD assured the public that it will continue to provide the necessary assistance to disaster-hit families even during the New Year celebration.

 

Source: Philippines News Agency