The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines has risen to well over 100, while dozens of others are missing, prompting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to declare a state of emergency on Thursday.
Kalmaegi barreled into central Philippines on Tuesday, bringing torrential rains and gale-force winds.
Most of the deaths have come on the island of Cebu, which saw the worst flash floods in recent memory in the province. Floodwaters swept away shanties, vehicles, and even shipping containers.
The rapidly rising water forced residents to climb onto the roofs of their homes, the Philippine Red Cross said.
The devastating typhoon hit the province less than a month after a powerful earthquake killed at least 72 people and injured more than 140 others.
What do we know about the casualties?
With 114 deaths confirmed by the Philippine Office of Civil Defense on Thursday, at least 49 people are said to have died in the province of Cebu. The national civil defense office said they were killed by drowning, landslides and fallen debris.
Eight people have been confirmed dead on the neighboring island of Negros and the provinces of Capiz, Bohol, Leyte and Southern Leyte.
Six people were killed after a Philippine Air Force helicopter crashed in the province of Agusan Del Sur on Tuesday while it was on its way to provide humanitarian assistance to provinces affected by the typhoon, the Philippines military said, without providing a cause for the crash.
The OCD also reported 28 other deaths, without providing further details.
At least 75 people were missing; 13 in Cebu, and 62 on Negros Island, the OCD added.
Over 430,000 people have been displaced, the country’s disaster management agency said.
What else do we know about Typhoon Kalmaegi?
Kalmaegi also caused widespread electricity outages. Much of the affected areas of Cebu, Southern Leyte and Negros Occidental provinces were either partially or fully without power.
The storm has caused severe transport disruption, with more than 30 flights canceled on Wednesday.
Shipping has also been affected, with nearly 3,000 passengers stranded at ports, the Philippine coast guard said.
Kalmaegi left the western Philippine province of Palawan and entered the South China Sea before midday local time (4 a.m. GMT) on Wednesday, with maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers (81 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 180 kilometers per hour.
The storm was headed towards Vietnam, which itself is still recovering from days of record-breaking amounts of rain that caused flash floods.
Fishing boats have returned to shore, and local authorities have prepared for potential evacuations as well as setting up shelters and stockpiling emergency food supplies.
Kalmaegi is expected to reach Vietnam by Friday morning.
Thailand’s meteorological agency has also issued an advisory for the north, east and center of the country, warning of heavy rain from Friday through the weekend that could lead to floods and landslides.
Philippines braced for another imminent storm
The Philippine weather bureau said another tropical cyclone was heading towards the country, and was expected to make landfall on Friday evening or Saturday.
The storm is forecast to strengthen and could become a super typhoon over the weekend.
The Philippines is hit by around 20 tropical cyclones each year. More than 6,300 people died when Super Typhoon Haiyan hit the country in November 2013.
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru
