10 killed as typhoon hits northern Philippines

Agence France-Presse

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

10 killed as typhoon hits northern Philippines

EPA

(UPDATED) NDRRMC says 10 were reported injured in the Mountain Province, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Batanes, and Cagayan; while 3 are missing in La Union, Ilocos Norte, and Cagayan

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – At least 10 people were killed while thousands fled to higher ground as powerful Typhoon Ineng (International Name: Goni)  brought torrential rains to the northern Philippines, triggering landslides and floods, officials said Sunday morning, August 22.

In its 6 am situation report on Sunday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said that the 10 casualties were from the Mountain Province, Benguet, and Ilocos Norte.

The NDRRMC said 10 were reported injured in the Mountain Province, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Batanes, and Cagayan; while 3 are missing in La Union, Ilocos Norte, and Cagayan.

The deaths in the Mountain Province and Benguet were reportedly due to landslides caused by heavy rains. A man was killed in nearby Ilocos Norte province after he was hit by a falling tree, the national disaster council said in a report. 

The NDRRMC said 7,470 families or 32,648 people had been evacuated by as of Sunday morning, the report said. The agency said a total of 197 houses were damaged in Regions I, II, and Cordillera Administrative Region.

In the northern province of Abra, two straight days of heavy rains caused a major river to overflow, Governor Eustaquio Bersamin said.

“The Abra river has turned into an ocean,” Bersamin told dzMM radio. 

“The rains were much stronger than we expected,” he said.

Ten domestic flights were cancelled, the disaster council said in its 6 am report.

The storm is the 9th out of an average of 20 that hit the Philippines each year and is now heading to Taiwan, the weather bureau PAGASA said. 

Taiwan has evacuated people from outlying islands and troops are on standby for disaster relief as it takes precautions against heavy rains expected this weekend.

Towering waves crashed against the island’s eastern coast Saturday morning, although people were still on the beach in the southern region of Kenting. 

Tourists evacuated

While the chance of Typhoon Ineng making landfall in Taiwan has diminished, the typhoon will bring heavy rains to most of the island Saturday and Sunday, with mountainous areas in eastern Hualien and Yilan counties expected to see torrential downpours. 

Areas at risk included the hot spring town of Wulai that was devastated by Typhoon Soudelor just two weeks ago. The popular tourist destination is still struggling to repair roads damaged by mudslides and the town remains cut off from regular water and power supplies. 

Wulai residents piled large sandbags along the river to prevent flooding from the expected rains and local officials may evacuate residents from at-risk areas later Saturday. 

At least 1,700 tourists have already been evacuated from Taiwan’s outlying Green and Orchid islands. Offices and schools have been closed there since Friday. Some ferry services and domestic flights have been cancelled, but international flights have yet to be affected. 

China’s National Meteorological Center has forecast Goni will not make landfall in the country, although the lowest level typhoon alert has been issued. 

The eastern province of Fujian, which faces Taiwan across a strait, has evacuated nearly 5,000 people involved in the fishing industry from coastal areas while 10,490 boats have returned to port to avoid impact from the typhoon. – Rappler.com 

Typhoon Soudelor killed at least 21 people in China after making landfall in Fujian earlier this month.

In Japan, airlines announced possible flight delays and cancellations as Goni and another strong typhoon, Atsani, neared.

Atsani was expected to approach the Ogasawara island chain, some 1,000 kilometres south of Tokyo, on Saturday, with winds of up to 252 kph, according to the Japanese meteorological agency. 

Goni was forecast to approach the Sakishima island chain in the south on Sunday, it said. – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!