Philippine bus swept away by swollen river, 15 dead

ILOILO CITY, Philippines, Oct 2 (Reuters) At least 15 people drowned and 30 were missing today when a mini-bus was swept away while trying to cross a river in central Philippines.

Police said passengers in the jeepney, a uniquely Philippine bus fashioned after the US military jeep, were returning from a funeral in Igbaras town in Iloilo province.

Igbaras Mayor James Esmeralda said nine survived the accident, which comes after 76 people were killed and 26 million dollars worth of infrastructure, crops and livestock were damaged by a typhoon in northern and central Philippines last week.

Meteorologists said a new storm, which could develop into a typhoon, could hit the Philippines tomorrow or early Wednesday.

Tropical storms regularly hit the archipelago. In the worst storm disaster in recent years, more than 5,000 people died in central Leyte island in 1991 in floods triggered by a typhoon.

In 2004, about 1,800 people were killed or went missing in a series of storms.

REUTERS LL BST1558