Manila:Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos jnr has declared a state of emergency after Typhoon Kalmaegi left at least 114 people dead and hundreds missing in central provinces in the deadliest natural disaster to hit the country this year.
The deaths were mostly from drowning in flash floods, and 127 people were still missing, many in the hard-hit central province of Cebu. The tropical cyclone blew out of the archipelago on Wednesday into the South China Sea.
Among the dead were 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 military said. It did not give the cause of the crash.
Residents return to what remains of their homes in Talisay City in Cebu in central Philippines.Credit: AP
The typhoon’s onslaught affected nearly 2 million people and displaced more than 560,000 villagers, including nearly 450,000 who were evacuated to emergency shelters, the Office of Civil Defence said.
Marcos’s “state of national calamity” declaration, made during a meeting with disaster-response officials to assess the typhoon’s aftermath, would allow the government to disburse emergency funds faster and prevent food hoarding and overpricing.
While still dealing with the deadly and disastrous impact of Kalmaegi in the country’s central region, disaster-response officials warned that another tropical cyclone from the Pacific could strengthen into a super typhoon and batter the northern Philippines early next week.
Vehicles left piled up by floodwaters resulting from Typhoon Kalmaegi in Cebu City.Credit: AP
Kalmaegi set off flash floods and caused a river and other waterways to swell in Cebu province. The resulting flooding engulfed residential communities, forcing residents to climb onto their roofs, where they desperately pleaded to be rescued as the floodwaters rose, provincial officials said.
At least 71 people died in Cebu, mostly due to drownings, while 65 others were reported missing and 69 injured, the Office of Civil Defence said. It added that 62 others were reported missing in the central province of Negros Occidental, which is located near Cebu.
