Typhoon Kalmaegi death toll surpasses 90 in Philippines
The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines has risen to over 90, as the full extent of the devastation in Cebu province becomes clearer following the worst flooding in recent memory.
Unprecedented floodwaters swept through towns and cities across Cebu on Tuesday, carrying away cars, riverside homes, and even massive shipping containers, News.Az reports, citing AFP.
Provincial spokesman Rhon Ramos told AFP that 35 bodies were recovered from flooded areas in Liloan, a town within the metropolitan area of Cebu City. This brought the death toll in Cebu province alone to 76. Earlier, national civil defence deputy administrator Rafaelito Alejandro confirmed at least 17 additional fatalities in other provinces.
“It was the major cities that got hit — highly urbanised areas,” Alejandro said in a local radio interview, adding that 26 people remain missing.
Residents described scenes of destruction as they began clearing debris from streets that had turned into rivers the previous day.
“The flood here yesterday was really severe,” said 53-year-old Reynaldo Vergara, whose small shop was completely washed away. “The river overflowed. That’s where the water came from. Around four or five in the morning, the water was so strong you couldn’t even step outside — nothing like this has ever happened.”
According to weather specialist Charmagne Varilla, the Cebu City area received 183 millimetres (seven inches) of rain in the 24 hours before Kalmaegi made landfall — surpassing its monthly average of 131 millimetres.
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