Death toll passes 100 as storm tears through the Philippines
Manila:Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a state of emergency after Typhoon Kalmaegi killed at least 114 people and left hundreds missing in the central provinces in the deadliest natural disaster to hit the country this year.
Most of the deaths resulted from drowning in the flash flood, and 127 people were still missing, mostly in the flood-hit central province of Cebu. The tropical cyclone blasted through the archipelago into the South China Sea on Wednesday.
The military said the dead included six crew members of a Philippine Air Force helicopter that crashed in Agusan del Sur province on Mindanao island during a disaster response mission. The cause of the accident was not specified.
Residents are returning to what is left of their homes in Talisay City in Cebu, central Philippines.Credit: access point
The Civil Protection Agency said the typhoon’s onslaught affected nearly 2 million people and displaced more than 560,000 villagers, including about 450,000 who were evacuated to emergency shelters.
Marcos’ declaration of a “national state of disaster” during a meeting with disaster response officials to assess the typhoon’s consequences will allow the government to distribute emergency funds more quickly and prevent food hoarding and overpricing.
Disaster response officials have warned that another tropical cyclone from the Pacific could intensify into a super typhoon and hit the northern Philippines early next week, as they still deal with the deadly and catastrophic impact of Kalmaegi in the country’s central region.
Vehicles piled up on top of each other in Cebu City due to flood waters caused by Typhoon Kalmaegi.Credit: access point
Kalmaegi caused flash floods and caused a river and other waterways to swell in Cebu province. The resulting flooding engulfed communities, forcing residents to climb onto their roofs, desperately begging to be rescued as floodwaters rose, state officials said.
The Civil Defense Agency reported that at least 71 people died, 65 were missing and 69 were injured in Cebu, mostly due to drowning. Another 62 people were reported missing in the central province of Negros Occidental, located near Cebu.
