At least 58 people were dead after Typhoon Kalmaegi left a trail of destruction in the central Philippines and continued to batter parts of Palawan island on Wednesday as it headed towards the South China Sea.
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Among the fatalities were six military personnel whose helicopter crashed in Agusan del Sur on the island of Mindanao during a humanitarian mission.
Scenes of devastation emerged in the province of Cebu, a major tourist hub, as floodwaters receded, revealing destroyed homes, overturned vehicles and widespread debris.
The disaster agency reported 13 people missing. The devastation from Kalmaegi, locally named Tino, comes just over a month after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck northern Cebu, killing dozens and displacing thousands.
Kalmaegi, which has weakened after making landfall early on Tuesday, is forecast to regain strength while over the South China Sea, state weather agency Pagasa said in its latest bulletin.
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Typhoon Kalmaegi tears through Philippines, triggering ‘uncontrollable’ flooding
Typhoon Kalmaegi tears through Philippines, triggering ‘uncontrollable’ flooding
More than 200,000 people were evacuated across the Visayas region, including parts of southern Luzon and northern Mindanao, ahead of a storm that submerged homes and caused widespread flooding and power outages.