Typhoon Kalmaegi has left at least 52 people dead and 13 others missing in Central Philippines, most of them with several vehicles in a strong earthquake in a strong earthquake in a strong earthquake, earthquake officials said, officials said on Tuesday.
Six people were killed in a separate incident when a Philippine Air Force helicopter crashed in southern Prov Sur Sur on Tuesday without giving other details, including what caused the crash.
Kalmaegi was last recorded early on Wednesday over the coastal waters of Linapacan in the western island province of Palawan with sustained winds of 120km/h (75m/h) and gusts of up to 150km/h (93m/h). It is forecast to blow over the South China Sea later on Wednesday.
Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV, Deputy Administrator of the Office of Civil Defense, and provincial officials reported in Kalmaegi on Tuesday and pointed to a river and other waterways.
The resulting flooding surrounded residential communities, forcing residents to climb onto their roofs, where they begged to be rescued, officials said.
The Philippine Red Cross has received many calls from people who need to be rescued from their roofs, said Secretary Gwendolyn Pang to wait until the dangers subside for emergency personnel.
CEBU, a flooded province of more than 2.4 million people, has declared a state of emergency to allow authorities to develop the latest disaster.
Cebu is still recovering from a 6.9-magnitude earthquake on September 30 that left at least 79 people dead and displaced thousands as houses collapsed or were severely damaged.
Hundreds of residents in Northern Cebu were displaced by the earthquake and forced to evacuate from flimsy tents before the typhoon, typhoon response officials said.
Other typhoon deaths were recorded in the province of Southern Leyte, where an old village was drowned in water after the typhoon made landfall in one of the eastern towns facing the Pacific. Another resident died after being hit by a falling tree in the province of Central Bohol, officials said.
Before Kalmaegi’s landfall, officials said more than 387,000 people had evacuated to safe areas in the Eastern Philippine and Central Philippine Provinces. Authorities warned of heavy rain, which could bring damaging winds and gusts of up to three meters.
Ferries and fishing boats have been banned from landing in rough seas, carrying more than 3,500 passengers and truck drivers in about 100 ports, the Coast Guard said. At least 186 domestic flights were canceled.
The Philippines is hit by about 20 typhoons and typhoons every year. The country is often hit by earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes, making it one of the most affected countries in the world.