Typhoon “Rai” left a trail of devastation in the Philippines. Hundreds of thousands of people had to get to safety, and many people died.
Manila – In the Philippines, the strongest typhoon of the year to date has cost the lives of at least 31 people, 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 south and the center of the island state made the rescue work and the overview of the damage easier on Saturday.
Tropical storm “Rai” left the Philippines on Saturday with a course for the South China Sea, as the weather office announced and also displayed on a map.
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 island nation is hit by an average of around 20 typhoons each year. The worst typhoon so far, “Haiyan”, killed more than 6,300 people in November 2013. dpa
