Hanoi (VNA) - At least five people have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced as rains driven by Typhoon Kalmaegi flooded swathes of central Philippines on November 4.
Entire towns on the island of Cebu have been inundated, while cars, trucks and even massive shipping containers could be seen swept along by muddy floodwaters.
In the 24 hours before Kalmaegi's landfall, the area around provincial capital Cebu City was deluged with 183mm of rain, well over its 131-mm monthly average.
According to officials and residents, the floodwaters rose so quickly that many people were trapped without time to evacuate and had to call for rescue on rooftops.
A video published by DZRH radio’s Facebook page showed homes in Talisay city in Cebu completely submerged, with only rooftops visible. Similar scenes were recorded in some areas of Cebu City.
Local disaster officials said the bodies of two children had been recovered and confirmed at least three other deaths, including an elderly man who drowned in his home in Leyte province and a man killed by a falling tree in Bohol. The typhoon also caused widespread power outages as winds gusting up to 180kph toppled trees and downed power lines.
More than 160 flights to and from affected areas were canceled, while people working at sea were advised to move to the nearest safe harbour immediately and stay there./.
