Philippine authorities on Thursday warned people to brace for a new tropical storm after floods and accidents caused by bad weather left eight dead and 63 missing, according to dpa. Tropical Storm Guchol was packing maximum sustained winds of 85 kilometres per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 100 kph as it bore down on the Philippines' eastern coast. "We urge everyone to prepare for more floods especially in southern Philippine provinces where monsoon rains have triggered flashfloods," said Benito Ramos, administrator of the Office of Civil Defence (OCD). "Let it not be said that we did not warn our local officials and the public," he added. The weather bureau said Guchol was expected to bring heavy rains over a 300-kilometre radius. Three people died in the flashfloods and a landslide in the southern Philippines, while five died when huge waves sank a ferry off the western province of Palawan. Sixty-three people were also missing due to the flashfloods in the southern province of Sarangani and the ferry sinking in Palawan, the OCD said.
