“Walls and roofs torn down like paper” – this is how those affected describe the force of the strongest tropical storm of the year in the Philippines to date. And the number of deaths, it is feared, is likely to rise.
Manila – In the Philippines, at least 31 people died when typhoon “Rai” passed through, according to the national disaster control agency.
There were 16 deaths in the central province of Cebu around 570 kilometers south of the capital Manila, it said. The authorities had previously suspected up to 24 fatalities. Better weather in the particularly affected regions in the southeast and the center of the island state made the rescue work and the overview of the damage easier on Saturday.
“Rai”, the strongest typhoon of the year in the Philippines so far, hit land on Thursday in the southeast on the island of Siargao, which is popular with surfers. With wind speeds of up to 195 kilometers per hour (km / h) and gusts of up to 240 km / h, it moved west over the geographic center of the Southeast Asian country.
On Saturday noon (local time) he left the Philippines with a course for the South China Sea, as the weather office announced and also depicted on a map.
Hundreds of thousands have to get to safety
As it passed through, the typhoon paralyzed power and communication lines, isolated some islands and cities, and left around five million people without electricity. More than 300,000 people had to get to safety. There were reports from the affected areas that the storm, known locally as “Odette”, razed houses made of light material to the ground, tore roofs down and even damaged concrete structures.
“We have lost our houses, walls and roofs were torn off like paper and blown away by Odette,” said Governor Arlene Bag-ao from the island province of Dinagat, describing the power of the typhoon. “Our landscape is reminiscent of the time when Yolanda struck our province, if not worse,” she added, referring to the 2013 super typhoon Haiyan.
The island nation is hit by an average of around 20 typhoons every year – and “Haiyan” was one of the worst: More than 6300 people died at the time, and more than four million people fled.
A shortage of food and other goods could now add to the devastation. Governor Bag-ao warned: “Our food and water supplies are running out.”
President Rodrigo Duterte got an impression of the destruction on Saturday during a flight over several provinces. Recordings showed extensive damage, many houses without roofs or razed to the ground, trees bent over or without leaves, and rubble everywhere.
The weather has improved
The rescue work was intensified on Saturday. The weather in the particularly affected regions in the south and the center of the island state has improved, said the spokesman for the national disaster control agency, Mark Timbal. This means that the aid measures and the assessment of the damage could run at full speed.
In addition to those in the province of Cebu, there were also deaths in the provinces of Negros Occidental and Bukidnon as well as on Siargao. Most of the so far confirmed victims were killed by falling trees or rubble from collapsed buildings, according to the civil protection. Others drowned.
Numerous domestic flights had previously been canceled and shipping was suspended. Several airports in the country are said to have sustained severe damage. dpa
