Teachers stranded by flooded river after heavy rain in the Philippines

Teachers were stranded outside their town when a river was swollen from a heavy rain.

Maricel dela Torre and her colleagues normally walk through the water but they were unable to cross after monsoon storms on August 15 in Lipawan town, Zalmboanga del Sur, the Philippines.

She said: "The water in the river quickly started to rise after it rained hard while we were still at school.

We don't want to risk wading through it even if we have a vehicle." A kind neighbour volunteered to drive them the long way round through neighbouring villages to school during the tropical storm Gener.

However, the teachers are with some of their students so they decided to wait until the water in the river receded.

Tropical Storm Gener is the country's 7th tropical cyclone for 2020, but did not make landfall as predicted by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

The teachers and their students safely arrived home later after a few hours of waiting.