Five passengers died while seven were rescued after a van was swept away by strong floods caused by heavy rains brought about by shear line in Palawan.

The van, carrying 12 people enroute to Puerto Princesa City from Bataraza was swept away after the vehicle stalled while crossing a flooded road between Aborlan and Puerto Princesa on Friday night.

The victims who died due to drowning include two minors, their parents, and a 34-year-old woman.

The bodies of the two children were recovered on Monday morning, while the 34-year-old woman was found in the afternoon of the same day in the vicinity of Barangay Isaub, Aborlan, Palawan.

Meanwhile, the remains of the parents were retrieved inside the passenger van in Sitio Marambuaya, Barangay Kamuning, Puerto Princesa on Tuesday morning.

The seven passengers were rescued Friday night after they managed to get out of the vehicle.

Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) chief Jerry Alilishearline brought heavy rains that caused flooding that displaced 2,044 families from Narra, Aborlan, Brooke’s Point, and Sofronio Espanola towns in Palawan.

However, Puerto Princesa City was placed under a state of calamity because of the effect of the weather disturbance.

Weather forecasters reported that the shear line will continue to cause moderate to heavy rain and thunderstorms in Metro Manila, Aurora, Calabarzon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Marinduque, and Oriental Mindoro until Thursday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Palawan will continue to experience cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms caused by the trough of a low pressure area located 345 kilometers southwest of Kalayaan, Palawan, according to weather specialist Veronica Torres. Yzabela Velez-White/DMS