Devastating Typhoon Hits Philippines: 46 Dead, Thousands Stranded

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The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines hit 46 on Tuesday, officials said, including six crew of a military helicopter that crashed during the powerful storm that unleashed heavy rains and floods across the central region.

The Huey helicopter went down in Agusan del Sur on the island of Mindanao, where it was conducting a humanitarian disaster response mission, the military said. Six bodies of the crew were recovered and an investigation was underway.

Just before noon, a tragic event unfolded approximately 270 kilometers from the island of Cebu, marking the most severely affected area. Local officials reported that 39 individuals perished, either by drowning or due to falling debris. Additionally, a fatality was recorded on the nearby island of Bohol.

Coast Guard rescues residents trapped by floods

In the wake of the disaster, images and footage shared by the Philippine Red Cross captured the grim reality in Cebu City. Rescue teams navigated through knee-deep floodwaters, employing boats to reach residents stranded by the inundation.

Even though Tropical Storm Kalmaegi, known locally as Tino, began to weaken after making landfall earlier on Tuesday, it continued to wreak havoc. The storm pummeled the region with intense winds reaching up to 120 km/h and gusts of 165 km/h as it moved across the Visayas islands, aiming for northern Palawan and the South China Sea.

The Philippines, which is hit by an average of 20 tropical storms each year, is recovering from a run of disasters, including earthquakes and severe weather events in recent months.

In September, Typhoon Ragasa swept across northern Luzon, forcing schools and government offices to shut down as it brought fierce winds and torrential rain.

By late Tuesday, the floodwaters in Cebu City started to recede. However, many areas remained without power, and telecommunications services were sporadic, according to a Reuters journalist on the scene.

Tens of thousands were evacuated across the Visayas region, including parts of southern Luzon and northern Mindanao, ahead of a storm that submerged homes and caused widespread flooding.

Cebu provincial information officer Ainjeliz Orong said the number of casualties in the province had jumped suddenly, from three reported earlier in the day, as rescue operations were underway and information had just started to come through.

Floods in Cebu City had subsided late on Tuesday, but power was still out in many places and telecommunications services were intermittent, a Reuters journalist said.

‘The waters kept rising’

Verified videos circulating on social media showed cars and streets underwater, with some vehicles carried away in the flow.

“We were really anxious because the longer the rains continued, the higher the floodwaters rose,” said John Patajo, a housekeeper in the area.

“When the waters rose, we went to our second floor. Yet, the waters kept rising, so we decided to head up to our roof.”

The typhoon was expected to leave the Philippines late on Wednesday or early Thursday.

State weather agency PAGASA had earlier warned of a high risk of “life-threatening and damaging storm surges” that could reach more than 3 metres high on coastal and low-lying communities in the central Philippines.

Vietnam on alert

The Vietnamese government on Tuesday said that it was preparing for the worst-case scenario as it braced for the impact of Kalmaegi.

The typhoon is forecast to make landfall on Thursday night in Vietnam’s central regions, which have already suffered heavy floods that killed at least 40 people and left six others missing over the past week.