Before making landfall in Vietnam, the typhoon, known locally as Tino, left a trail of devastation in the Philippines.
At least 188 people were killed and tens of thousands were evacuated, particularly from central areas including the populous island and tourist hotspot of Cebu, where cars were swept through the streets.
Kalmaegi dumped the equivalent of a month’s worth of rain on the island in just 24 hours, sending torrents of mud and debris down mountainsides and into urban areas.
Stunned survivors who had made it to higher ground watched as buses and shipping containers were tossed about in the raging floodwaters.
The storm has wiped out entire neighbourhoods in poorer districts, where building materials are flimsier.
In Talisay City, which suffered some of the worst destruction, Mely Saberon looked on in despair at the pile of debris that had once been her home.
“We don’t have any home anymore,” she told the BBC. “We weren’t able to salvage anything from our house.
“We didn’t expect the surge of rain and wind. We’ve experienced many typhoons before, but this one was different.”
Residents have now started the backbreaking task of cleaning away the thick layer of mud, and picking through the wreckage for anything that can be used.
Early on Thursday, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr declared a state of emergency, the threshold of which involves mass casualty, major damage to property, and disruption to means of livelihoods and the normal way of life for people in the affected areas.
