Priest killed while rescuing others during typhoon in Philippines

Published: 2004-12-09

QUEZON CITY, Philippines (CNS) -- When villagers found the bloated body of Father Charlito Colendres Nov. 30, a rope he used to steady himself as he rescued villagers from rising floodwater was still tied around his waist. Father Colendres, 48, chancellor of the Infanta Territorial Prelature, was one of hundreds of victims of a typhoon and a tropical storm that blew through the Philippines' northeast provinces, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. At least 740 people have been reported dead; more than 750 remain missing, The Associated Press reported in early December. More than 200,000 people have been displaced by the storms. Father Colendres died in the village of Pilaway, where he went Nov. 29 to rescue people in danger from the storms.

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