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Typhoon Mangkhut heads for south China as dozens killed in Philippines Typhoon Mangkhut hits southern China as dozens killed in Philippines
(about 2 hours later)
Typhoon Mangkhut killed dozens in the Philippines as it obliterated homes and crops and caused massive flooding, and is now on course to plough into China’s southern coast. Typhoon Mangkhut has hit the southern coast of China, after leaving at least 59 dead in the Philippines amid landslides and flooding.
Presidential adviser Francis Tolentino said the heaviest casualty was recorded in the mountainous Cordillera region in northern Luzon, where heavy rains caused landslides that left 24 people dead and 13 more missing. Four others – including two children – were buried in a landslide in Nueva Ecija, another in Kalinga, and one person was killed by a falling tree in Ilocos Sur, Tolentino said. The storm battered the heavily populated Guangdong region on Sunday afternoon with 100mph (160km/h) winds, after skirting 62 miles from Hong Kong. High winds smashed windows in the city, tearing off parts of buildings and roofs, while storm surges flooded hotels and restaurants. More than 100 people were injured.
The storm, which was the strongest the region has seen this year, was not as ferocious as feared, though due to the remote areas where the typhoon hit, the full death toll and extent of the destruction is still unknown. In Guangdong, almost half a million people have been evacuated from seven cities. Schools have closed until Tuesday and the high-speed rail line has been suspended, according to China’s state news agency, Xinhua. In the southern province of Fujian, officials have ordered thousands of fishing boats to return to harbour and closed construction sites near the coast.
#TyphoonManghkut pic.twitter.com/xinZeFanPa#TyphoonManghkut pic.twitter.com/xinZeFanPa
By Sunday morning, it was hurtling towards China’s heavily populated southern coast with winds of 177km/h (110mph).In Hong Kong, where the huge storm skirted just 100km (62 miles) south of the city, more than 100 people were injured. Officials had earlier raised the storm alert to a T10, its highest level. Businesses have been boarded up and most flights cancelled. In the Philippines, the presidential adviser, Francis Tolentino, said the heaviest casualties were in the mountainous Cordillera region in northern Luzon, where torrential rains caused landslides that left dozens dead, including those who tried to rescue miners buried in the mud. A pregnant woman was also among the fatalities. The country’s president, Rodrigo Duterte, is due to visit the area on Monday.
Residents have been advised to stay indoors and away from windows or doors, and some have been evacuated from low-lying areas. High winds smashed windows, torn off parts of buildings and roofs, while storm surges have flooded hotels and restaurants. Four others – including two children – were buried in a landslide in Nueva Ecija, another person died in Kalinga, and one was killed by a falling tree in Ilocos Sur, Tolentino said. The total death toll has risen to 59.
In Guangdong, schools have been closed until Tuesday and the high speed rail has been suspended, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua. In the southern province of Fujian, Chinese officials have ordered thousands of fishing boats to return to harbour and closed construction sites near the coast. The storm, the strongest in the region this year, was not as ferocious as feared due to the remote areas where the typhoon hit. However, the full death toll and extent of the destruction is still unknown.
In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte flew to Cagayan on Sunday with top government officials. He said: “I share the grief of those who lost their loved ones. Those [are what] we call the unforeseen events. In insurance, this is an act of God. I don’t know how it can be an act of God, but that is the term used by the insurance,” Duterte said in a televised briefing. Duterte said he would fly to the Cordillera region on Monday. On Sunday, Duterte and government officials flew to the heavily impacted area of Cagayan. He said in a televised briefing: “I share the grief of those who lost their loved ones. Those [are what] we call the unforeseen events. In insurance, this is an act of God. I don’t know how it can be an act of God, but that is the term used by the insurance.”
Tolentino said the search and rescue operation had now ended and that the focus would switch to “rehabilitation” and the restoration of power and water supplies. Tolentino said the search and rescue operation had ended and the focus would switch to rehabilitation and the restoration of power and water supplies.
Ma Wan, off the eastern edge of #HongKong's Lantau Island, feels the force of #Mangkhut https://t.co/vw3rCPfflY #TyphoonMangkhut 🎥: Sian Loh pic.twitter.com/UHRQq0bKKUMa Wan, off the eastern edge of #HongKong's Lantau Island, feels the force of #Mangkhut https://t.co/vw3rCPfflY #TyphoonMangkhut 🎥: Sian Loh pic.twitter.com/UHRQq0bKKU
The category 5 “super” typhoon hit the northern end of the Philippine island of Luzon early on Saturday morning, with the high winds ripping the roofs off houses and pulling down trees and electricity pylons, and the rains causing fatal landslides and flooding. More than five million people were in its path. The category five super-typhoon hit the northern end of the Philippine island of Luzon early on Saturday morning, with the high winds ripping roofs off houses and pulling down trees and electricity pylons, and the rains causing fatal landslides and flooding. More than 5 million people were in its path.
The island is a key agricultural area in the Philippines, producing most of the country’s rice, corn and others vegetable crops, and the storm left them ruined a month before harvest, damaging the livelihoods of thousands in the region. The island is a key agricultural area in the Philippines, producing most of the country’s rice, corn and other vegetable crops, which have been ruined a month before harvest, damaging the livelihoods of thousands in the region.
Jerome Balinton, a spokesman for Save the Children who was on the ground in north-eastern Luzon, said: “The further north we travelled the more extensive the damage, particularly in Cagayan province. House after house had been flattened or badly damaged, with roofs or walls missing. Large trees have been uprooted from the ground and power poles bent right over, leaving power lines strewn across the ground.” Even well-off families could not sufficiently prepare for the strength of Typhoon Mangkhut. Mila Catabay-Lauigan, a Cagayan resident, reinforced her two-storey home and evacuated her family to a hotel before the typhoon made landfall.
“There was no escaping it. We could hear the whistling of the winds from where we were, at the fourth floor of the hotel. The typhoon also stayed longer than we’re used to. It would have been worse if we stayed home,” she said.
Despite the preparations, she found the ceiling of her home had collapsed. “All over Cagayan, the houses were destroyed and crops were flattened,” she said.
Jerome Balinton, a spokesman for Save the Children who was in north-eastern Luzon, said: “The further north we travelled the more extensive the damage, particularly in Cagayan province. House after house had been flattened or badly damaged, with roofs or walls missing. Large trees have been uprooted from the ground and power poles bent right over, leaving power lines strewn across the ground.”
He added: “In some areas where the eye of the storm hit, it seems as if nothing has been left undamaged.”He added: “In some areas where the eye of the storm hit, it seems as if nothing has been left undamaged.”
The typhoon affected 250,000 people in Luzon, according to the government’s natural disaster council. Mangkhut, a Thai word for the mangosteen fruit, is the 15th storm this year to batter the Philippines.The typhoon affected 250,000 people in Luzon, according to the government’s natural disaster council. Mangkhut, a Thai word for the mangosteen fruit, is the 15th storm this year to batter the Philippines.
After Hong Kong, Mangkhut will pass the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau, which has closed all of its 42 casinos for the first time and sandbagged businesses after flood warnings.
The typhoon is due to hit the Chinese province of Guandong by Sunday afternoon, where nearly half a million people have been evacuated from seven cities.
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