Death toll rises as Typhoon Kalmaegi displaces hundreds of thousands in Philippines

The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi in the central Philippines climbed past 100 on Wednesday as the devastating impact on Cebu province became clearer after the worst flooding in recent memory.

Floodwaters described as unprecedented had rushed through the province's towns and cities a day earlier, sweeping away cars, riverside shanties and even massive shipping containers.

The deaths include six crew of a military helicopter that went down in Agusan del Sur on the island of Mindanao, where it was conducting a humanitarian disaster response mission, the military said. Six bodies of the crew were recovered and an investigation was underway.

At least 49 drowned in floods and others died as a result of landslides and falling debris in Cebu, where 13 of the 26 missing were reported, the Office of Civil Defense said on Wednesday.

“We did everything we can for the typhoon but, you know, there are really some unexpected things like flash floods,” Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro told AP by telephone.

The Cebu province was still recovering from a 6.9 magnitude earthquake on September 30 that left at least 79 people dead and displaced thousands when houses collapsed or were severely damaged.

Forecasters estimate the storm, locally known as Tino, will reach Vietnam’s coast Friday morning.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s weather agency issued an advisory for the northern, eastern and central parts of the country, warning that Kalmaegi would bring heavy rain Friday and into the weekend that could cause flash floods, landslides and river overflows.

More than 300 flights were cancelled on Tuesday due to the typhoon, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, adding that 20 more scheduled for Wednesday have been scrapped.

Kalmaegi is the 20th tropical cyclone this year to hit the Philippines, one of the world’s most disaster-prone nations.

The Philippines was hit by two major storms in September, including Super Typhoon Ragasa, which tore the roofs off buildings on its way to killing 14 people in nearby Taiwan.

- inputs from wires