Flash flood victims face threat of epidemic outbreak

SURVIVORS of devastating Philippines flash floods face a growing threat of disease, including cholera and typhoid, officials warned as the death toll rose above 1,000.

About 44,000 people who fled as huge torrents swept away shanty towns in the nation’s south are packed in evacuation camps without proper sanitation, and officials fear the sites are potential breeding grounds for epidemics.

Tropical storm Washi struck the southern island of Mindanao over the weekend, bringing heavy rains, flash floods and overflowing rivers that swept whole coastal villages away.