European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 7, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Thursday november 7, 1991 the stars and stripes c Page 3hundreds die in philippine storm Manila Philippines apr Flash floods triggered by tropical storm Thelma unleashed landslides in the Central Philippines and officials said wednesday that More than 750 people had been killed. Officials said the death toll was an estimate because they could not Cope with the extent of the devastation. The philippine red Cross said it received unconfirmed reports placing the death toll at More than 2,000. Most of the deaths occurred tuesday in Imelda Marcos Home province of Leyte about 350 Miles Southeast of Manila. Vilma Tan the regional doctor of the office of civil defense said More than 600 people had died in one Leyte City Oroc which has a population of about 160,000. Red Cross and civil defense officials said 135 More were killed in other parts of Leyte and another 52 died on Negros Island. No reports have been received from the Island of Samar where the storm came ashore wednesday. Tan said so Many bodies were littering the streets of Oroc that officials were hauling them away in wheelbarrows. Mass funerals were held because officials lacked sanitation equipment. A i saw one Van with bodies piled on top of each other with legs and arms protruding out a said Tan by Telephone from the provincial capital Taloban. Thelma a relatively weak storm struck Samar on tuesday with winds gusting to 46 Mph forcing Marcos to cancel a planned trip to Leyte on wednesday. After sweeping across the Central Philippines the storm weakened to a tropical depression wednesday. The storm dumped nearly 6 inches of rain in 24 hours mountains in Leyte that were so heavily logged there was Little to prevent the slides and inundation. Floodwaters heavy with mud and de a resident of Leyte province leads his pigs to safety tuesday after tropical storm Thelma destroyed his Home background. Bris tumbled Down the slopes toward Oroc at High tide swelling Waters quickly in shanty settlements near the coastline. That prevented Many of the residents from escaping quickly Tan said. She said that a makeshift morgue had been established at or mock a health clinic and that thousands of residents were unaccounted for. A you can see bodies along the streets under houses and in creeks in Oroc a she said. A bodies Are lined up at the cite health Tan said the floods from the hillsides were so Rich with mud that they cracked the Walls of the City Hall. The entire Island was without electricity wednesday she added. She said at least two major Bridges Between Oroc and Taloban about 45 Miles to the Northeast had been swept away. Winston Garcia a provincial official on the Island of Cebu said officials there also received a radio message from Oroc mayor Maria Victoria appealing for help. A to Roc is completely Cut off Quot he said quoting Locsin. A the Bridges Are completely out. There is not much food in the on Negros Island provincial gov. Daniel Laeson said first reports showed that More than 400 Homes had been destroyed. More than 2,000 people in the provincial capital bae Okul had been forced from their Homes but no figure was available Prober says some americans left behind Washington a the director of the . Office for pow Mia affairs in Hanoi said wednesday that As Many As 10 americans were left behind in vietnamese hands at the end of the Southeast asian War. The official Garnett e. Bell made his comments to special Senate committee investigating the Issue of american prisoners of War and the pissing in action in Indochina. \ Bell said reports from 1973 to 1975 indicated that some americans had been left when . Involvement in the conflict ended. Those reports initially were unconfirmed he said but have been corroborated by information obtained in the past few years. A after we began to interview refugees and based on the investigations we conducted. I think we can say that with certainty now Quot Bell said. Asked How Many americans were left behind Bell replied a possibly 10 or he did not discuss the circumstances under which the americans were being held or what has been Learned of their Fate. Two other pow Hunters who also testified wednesday said they had not heard such reports and did not have any evidence to support Belles Contention. The two were William r. Gadoury jr., of the joint casualty Resolution Center in Laos and army col. John Cole director of the defense intelligence Agency s office in Stony Beach Thailand. Outside the Senate hearing room wednesday Vietnam a ambassador to the United nations said his government has told the United states everything it knows about missing americans and is cooperating fully with efforts to determine their Fate. Ambassador Trinh Xuan Lang said he was trying to clarity his remarks tuesday when he refused to answer whether the Hanoi government was withholding information on the 2,273 americans listed As missing in the Southeast asian conflict he had said tuesday that his government was ready to cooperate on the pow Mia Issue but did not want the matter to be a condition for establishing diplomatic ties with Washington. When asked by reporters if that meant Hanoi was withholding information on the Issue the ambassador replied Quot i Don t want to comment on lie said wednesday that he May have misunderstood the question and denied his government was keeping anything Back. A fall information we have has been shared to the United states a Lang said. Quot whether there is normalization of relations or not we will continue to extend full cooperation with the United slates in resolving this Issue Quot Lang said. At the hearing Bell testified that the vietnamese had become More cooperative lately. Quot this is a Good sign but it is readily apparent to me. My fellow investigators and our intelligence analysts that the vietnamese can do More Quot Bell gets 18-month jail sentence in thefts by Meridith Winder . Bureau an air Force delivery Driver assigned to Raf upper Heyford England has received an 18-month jail term following a two Day general court martial on charges of stealing car parts and other items a base spokesman said. A six officer jury also recommended that sgt. Erik r. Weathers of the 20th Supply so be demoted three grades to airman Basic ordered to tort ii s250 a month for six months and Given a bad conduct discharge. In the court martial last thursday and Friday. Weathers pleaded guilty to and was found guilty old one count of attempting to convince briton David s. Sutton to commit perjury. A one count of conspiracy to commit larceny of Mili tary property. A two counts of larceny of military property of a value in excess of $1,500 and $4 respectively. According to court records Weathers conspired with airman 1st class Leone Demartino in Between Jan. 15 and March 31 to steal military property including automobile engines carburettors and fuel pumps valued at More than $i,50u. Weathers stole the Auto parts in March. Then from March to april he took eight cold weather jackets arid swe pairs of flying boots valued at More than 54 said spokesman Richard april Weathers tried to induce Sutton a British Aquai Tanee of nearby Syresham to commit perjury at Demartino a court martial. Weathers wanted Sutton to testily that Sutton and sgt. Heber j. Carrillo or. Placed the stolen engines in Demartino a garage without do Martin Ion a know ledge the spokesman said. Legal officials think that Carrillo s name was chosen at Rand Iii to implicate him Colley said. Sutton relayed this information to authorities and testified about Weathers attempt at the trial Dmartino was convicted in july of conspiracy to steal military property theft of military properly wrongful appropriation of property and attempting to sell military property. He was Given a four year jail term a bad conduct discharge demoted to airman Basic and ordered to Lorleita All pay and allowances. Dmartino was a surgical service specialist at the base Hospital. The 26-year-old Weathers will serve1iis confinement at Raf Lakin Halh. He a been m the air Force since february l js4 and assigned to upper a Cyford since april 19n6,
