The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines has climbed to 114, with 127 people still missing, as the storm that devastated the country’s central regions regained strength while heading toward Vietnam, officials said on Thursday.
In the hardest-hit province of Cebu, residents returned to scenes of ruin. Floodwaters that once swallowed entire streets had receded, exposing flattened homes, overturned vehicles, and debris-strewn neighbourhoods.
In Cebu City, 58-year-old Marlon Enriquez tried to salvage what was left of his family’s belongings.
“This was the first time that has happened to us. I’ve been living here for almost 16 years, and it was the first time I’ve experienced flooding like this,” he said.
In nearby Talisay City, 38-year-old Eilene Oken sifted through the wreckage of her home, reduced to splintered wood and twisted metal.
“We worked and saved for this for years, then in an instant, it was all gone,” she said. Still, she expressed gratitude that her family, including her two daughters, escaped unharmed.
Across the region, more than 200,000 people had been evacuated from their homes before the storm struck on Tuesday. Many have now returned to begin the arduous cleanup.
“The challenge now is debris clearing... These need to be cleared immediately, not only to account for the missing who may be among the debris or may have reached safe areas but also to allow relief operations to move forward,” civil defence official Raffy Alejandro told DZBB radio.
Among the dead were six military personnel whose helicopter crashed in Agusan del Sur on the island of Mindanao during a humanitarian mission. Another 17 people were injured, the national disaster agency said.
Kalmaegi, locally known as Tino, was the 20th storm to hit the Philippines this year, unleashing landslides, flooding, and power outages across the Visayas region and parts of southern Luzon and northern Mindanao.
The destruction followed a 6.9-magnitude earthquake in northern Cebu just over a month ago that killed dozens and displaced thousands.
As Kalmaegi moved over the South China Sea, it strengthened again, heading toward Vietnam. Authorities in Gia Lai province said around 350,000 people were expected to be evacuated from the area by midday Thursday amid warnings of heavy rain, flooding, and damaging winds that could disrupt key coffee-growing areas.
Vietnam’s aviation authorities said operations at eight airports, including Da Nang International Airport, could be affected.
Meanwhile, forecasters in the Philippines are tracking another storm developing east of Mindanao that could intensify into a typhoon early next week — a worrying sign for a nation still reeling from Kalmaegi’s destruction.
In a bold move to prioritise American interests, President Donald J. Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum directing the withdrawal of the United...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has said it may deploy additional federal agents to Minnesota following the fatal shooting of a woman by an I...
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed regret on Thursday over the decision by the Trump administration to withdraw from 31 entities linked t...
A significant development in the complex Azerbaijan - Armenia scenario is the growing confrontation between Armenia’s political leadership and the A...
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the broader geopolitical tensions surrounding territorial disputes and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant have drawn s...
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake has struck off the southern Philippines, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has said.
Hong Kong Police said that the death toll of people killed in the Wang Fuk apartment fire has risen to 159 while giving an update on their investigation into the incident on Wednesday.
The combined death toll from Typhoon Fung-wong and Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines has reached 259, with 114 people still reported missing, state media says.
At least two people have died in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Fung-wong battered central and eastern regions, bringing torrential rain and powerful winds that knocked out electricity across much of the Bicol region ahead of its anticipated landfall in northern Luzon.
Open-source intelligence (OSINT) sources reported a significant movement of U.S. military aircraft towards the Middle East in recent hours. Dozens of U.S. Air Force aerial refuelling tankers and heavy transport aircraft were observed heading eastwards, presumably to staging points in the region.
Snow and ice stalled travellers in northwest Europe on Wednesday, forcing around a thousand to spend the night in Amsterdam's Schiphol airport but delighting others who set out to explore a snow-blanketed Paris on sledges and skis.
Diplomatic tensions between Tokyo and Beijing escalated as Japan slams China's export ban on dual-use goods. Markets have wobbled as fears grow over a potential rare earth embargo affecting global supply chains.
Two people have been killed after a private helicopter crashed at a recreation centre in Russia’s Perm region, Russian authorities and local media have said.
Iran’s chief justice has warned protesters there will be “no leniency for those who help the enemy against the Islamic Republic”, as rights groups reported a rising death toll during what observers describe as the country’s biggest wave of unrest in three years.
The 240-megawatt Khizi-Absheron Wind Power Plant has been inaugurated in Azerbaijan on Thursday (8 Jan) by President Illham Aliyev, who described the launch as a landmark moment for Azerbaijan's energy sector. It's the first large-scale, independently developed wind energry project in the country.
A mountain gorilla has given birth to twins in war‑torn eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a national park said on Wednesday, calling the event “a major event” for the endangered subspecies.
Experts say COP30 failed to deliver concrete commitments on fossil fuels and deforestation despite high expectations.
Snow and ice caused travel chaos in northwest Europe on Wednesday, while others were delighted by the snow-covered streets of Paris, venturing out on sledges and skis.
Emergency services across southeastern Australia have been placed on high alert as a blistering air mass pushes temperatures to dangerous extremes, reviving painful memories of the nation's catastrophic fire seasons of the past decade.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment