Typhoon Kalmaegi kills 114 in Philippines, nears Vietnam

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.

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