Typhoon Kalmaegi Hits Philippines, 4 People Died

JAKARTA - The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi increased to four people. The devastating storm triggered heavy rains and floods in the central Philippines, submerged houses, and forced thousands of people to flee.

Although Kalmaegi, locally known as Tino, weakened since landing Tuesday, November 4 morning, the typhoon continued to hit the country with wind speeds of 130 km/hour and gusts of 180 km/hour while sweeping the Visayas Islands and northern Palawan towards the South China Sea.

Three people have been confirmed dead and at least one person has been reported missing in central Cebu province, provincial information officer Ainjeliz Orong said. Two other deaths are still being verified.

"We didn't expect a flood of this size," Orong said by telephone.

In the neighboring province, Bohol, one person died after being hit by a fallen tree, disaster official Anthony Damalerio told DZMM radio.

Tens of thousands of residents were evacuated throughout the Visayas region, including parts of the southern region of Luzon and northern Mindanao, the national disaster agency reported.

Photos and videos from the Philippines' Red Cross show rescue workers traversing knee-high floods in Cebu City, using boats to reach displaced residents.

In the city of halaman, in the northern suburbs of the city, houses were submerged, only roofs and upper floors were visible.

Similar views from other areas in Cebu City, showing vehicles and roads being flooded.