No fewer than 66 people have been killed, while hundreds of thousands fled their homes as one of the strongest typhoons this year ripped through the central Philippines, authorities say.
Typhoon Kalmaegi inundated entire cities on Cebu, the most populous central island, resulting in 49 fatalities. Twenty-six others are missing, according to a civil defense official speaking on the radio on Wednesday.
People are seen in videos sheltering on rooftops, while automobiles and shipping containers are swept through the streets.
The official death toll includes six crew members of a military helicopter that crashed on Mindanao Island, south of Cebu, after being dispatched to help with rescue efforts.
The plane crashed on Tuesday in Agusan del Sur and was one of four dispatched to assist.
“Communication with the helicopter was lost, which immediately prompted the launch of a search and rescue operation,” the Philippine Air Force said. Later, a spokeswoman said six bodies had been recovered, believed to be those of the pilot and crew.
The typhoon, locally known as Tino, has lessened since making landfall early Tuesday, but it continues to deliver gusts of more than 80 mph (130 km/h).
It is expected to proceed across the Visayas islands and out into the South China Sea by Wednesday.
However, inhabitants of Cebu province are still struggling from the catastrophic floods. The tragedy has displaced more than 400,000 people, according to a report released on Wednesday by the national disaster office.
Jel-an Moira Servas, a Mandaue City business owner, told the BBC that her house flooded within minutes, leaving her waist-deep in water. She evacuated quickly with her family, bringing only essentials like food and electronics.
“Right now, the rain has completely stopped and the sun is out, but our houses are still filled with mud, and everything inside is in shambles,” she said. “We don’t even know where to start cleaning. I can’t even look at it without crying.”
According to Rafaelito Alejandro, deputy administrator at the Office of Civil Defence, the present issue for rescuers is clearing “debris and cars on the road.”
Volunteer rescuer Carlos Jose Lañas told the BBC that they were caught off guard by the extent of the floods, despite being prepared for the worst.
“This is the worst flood I’ve ever experienced,” the 19-year-old said. “Almost all the rivers here in Cebu overflowed. Even emergency responders did not expect this kind of scenario.”
“The rescue operation was too overwhelming for the emergency responders around Cebu, because there were a lot of people asking for help.”
In a Facebook post, Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro termed the devastation as “unprecedented.”
“We were expecting the winds to be the dangerous part, but… the water is what’s truly putting our people at risk,” she said. “The floodwaters are just devastating.”
Baricuatro announced a state of calamity in Cebu on Tuesday evening to aid disaster relief efforts.
The majority of the deaths were caused by drowning, according to reports. The storm has sent torrents of muddy water down hillsides and into towns and cities.
The retreating floodwaters caused considerable damage to Cebu’s residential districts, sweeping away numerous modest buildings and leaving behind a thick carpet of mud. Rescue teams used boats to release persons who were trapped inside their homes.
Don del Rosario, 28, was among the Cebu City residents who sought shelter on an upper story while the storm raged.
“I’ve been here for 28 years, and this is by far the worst we’ve experienced,” he told the AFP news agency.
The Philippines is struck by an average of 20 storms and typhoons per year.
The latest comes barely a month after back-to-back typhoons killed over a dozen people and inflicted damage to infrastructure and crops.
Super Typhoon Ragasa, also known as Nando, made landfall in late September, followed quickly by Typhoon Bualoi, also known as Opong.
In the months prior, an unusually rainy monsoon season caused widespread flooding, igniting resentment and protests over unfinished and subpar flood control structures, which were blamed on corruption.
On September 30, dozens of people were killed and injured as a violent 6.9 magnitude earthquake slammed the central Philippines, with Cebu suffering the brunt of the impact.
Typhoon Kalmaegi is expected to move on to Vietnam, which is already experiencing record-breaking rains.
