Manila [Philippines], December 20 (ANI): Atleast Two hundred and Eight people were reported dead and 52 went missing as powerful Typhoon Rai lashed at the Philippines causing severe landslides, and floods, leaving a trail of destruction in one of the most deadliest typhoon to have struck the Southeast Asian country, according to Al Jazeera.
Ricardo Jalad, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) executive director, said his office verified a report that a man from the northern Mindanao region in Southern Philippines died after a fallen tree hit him.
The local media also reported that four others died in areas hit by Rai. The NDRRMC said these deaths are being verified. The NDRRMC has yet to release the official report on the deaths and damage caused by the typhoon, which continues to batter parts of the country on Friday.
Typhoon Rai, the 15th powerful cyclone to batter the Philippines, made landfall on Thursday afternoon, unleashing fierce winds and heavy rains that triggered flash floods that left villages submerged and people appealing for rescue.
Many of those who died were hit by falling trees or walls, drowned in floods, or were buried in landslides. A 57-year-old man was found dead hanging from a tree branch and a woman was blown away by the wind and died in Negros Occidental province, according to sources.
More than 700,000 people were lashed by the typhoon in central island provinces, including more than 400,000 who had to be moved to emergency shelters. Thousands of residents were rescued from flooded villages, including in Loboc town in hard-hit Bohol province, where residents were trapped on roofs and trees to escape from rising floodwaters, according to Al Jazeera.
On Friday at 2.00 pm local time, the state weather bureau said Rai was spotted 155 km away from Puerto Princesa City in Palawan province. It is forecast to exit the Philippines on Saturday. Rai also felled trees, damaged roads, destroyed houses and buildings, and caused a massive power outage in the central and southern Philippines.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) used rubber boats and ropes to evacuate people, including a month-old baby placed in a basin to protect from floodwaters. Local emergency workers were busy clearing roads of fallen trees on Thursday.
Bohol Governor Arthur Yap said the rescuers could not function well due to the severity of Rai. He told radio DZBB that even his home was flooded, which reached the second floor. His household members were trapped on the rooftop. He said at least 100 families in the province were trapped on the roofs, adding that they are trying to bring boats and rescue the affected residents.
“Loboc River is still rising. Hundreds of families are trapped in rooftops right now. The rain has been really heavy since yesterday afternoon. The winds are very powerful,” he added. Anthony Demalerio, head of Bohol provincial disaster risk reduction and management office, said search and rescue operations are ongoing in the central Philippine province.
Demalerio said they are checking reports about some casualties. He said the province has difficulty collating data from the field due to a power outage. “The batteries of mobile phones have run out, making it difficult to contact those in the other towns,” he said.
Rai, packing sustained winds of 155 km per hour and gusts of up to 215 km per hour, is blowing away to the sea. (
Further, about 20 storms and typhoons annually batter the Philippines, which lies between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea.
Also, the Southeast Asian archipelago also lies along the seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire” region, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.
Earlier, Philippines coastguard ships ferried 29 American, British, Canadian, Swiss, Russian, Chinese and other tourists who were stranded on Siargao Island, a popular surfing destination devastated by the typhoon, according to Al Jazeera.
Many of those who died were hit by falling trees or walls, drowned in floods or were buried in landslides adding up to the casualties. (ANI)
