The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines has climbed to 114, with 127 people still missing, the disaster agency reported on Thursday. The storm, which severely impacted the central regions, has regained strength as it moves toward Vietnam.
In Vietnam’s Gia Lai province, authorities anticipated that around 350,000 people would be evacuated by midday, warning of heavy rains and strong winds that could trigger flooding in low-lying areas and damage crops.
In Cebu, the hardest-hit province in the Philippines, the full extent of the devastation emerged as floodwaters receded, exposing flattened homes, overturned vehicles, and streets littered with debris.
More than 200,000 people were evacuated in the Philippines ahead of Kalmaegi hitting on Tuesday. Some have returned to find their homes destroyed, while others have begun the arduous cleanup, scraping mud from their houses and streets.
“The challenge now is debris clearing… These need to be cleared immediately, not only to account for the missing who may be among the debris or may have reached safe areas but also to allow relief operations to move forward,” Raffy Alejandro, a senior civil defence official, told DZBB radio.
New Storm developing
Even as Typhoon Kalmaegi, locally named Tino, exited the Philippine monitoring zone, weather forecasters were tracking a brewing storm east of Mindanao that could strengthen into a typhoon, raising concerns for potential impacts early next week.
The devastation from Kalmaegi, the 20th storm to hit the Philippines this year, comes just over a month after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck northern Cebu, killing dozens and displacing thousands.
As Kalmaegi moved over the South China Sea ahead of its landfall in Vietnam, it was regaining strength. It is forecast to impact several central provinces, including key coffee-growing areas, where the harvest season is currently underway.
Authorities were mobilising thousands of soldiers to assist with potential evacuations, rescue operations, and recovery efforts.
Vietnam’s aviation authorities said operations at eight airports, including the international airport in Da Nang, are likely to be affected. Airlines and local authorities have been urged to closely monitor the storm’s progress to ensure passenger safety.
(With Reuters Inputs)
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