BAGUIO CITY ?Flashfloods struck Banaue Thursday afternoon until evening, startling residents as rain and mud swept through houses and overturned vehicles.

Six barangays in Banaue affected by the big volume of rain.

At least 13 families and 23 individuals were brought to the evacuation center at Poblacion town hall while three were reported to have incurred minor injuries.

The National Road along Amganad to Tam-an Banaue, Ifugao was closed because of at least 30 landslides.

As of Thursday night, the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Cordillera handed out 500 family food packs to affected residents, while it has also coordinated with the local social welfare office of Banaue to assess additional emergency services.

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco spoke to Banaue Mayor Joel Bungallon to offer immediate assistance in the handling and free transportation of stranded tourists, and other assistance it may need.

According to the DOT-CAR, out of the 55 domestic tourists from nine accommodation establishments initially reported stranded, only a few remain.

Frasco also requested a rapid assessment of The Banaue Hotel, which is being managed by the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), an attached agency of the DOT. The agency’s engineers are assessing the area of the hotel where portion of the landslide ensued. DMS