The death toll in the Philippines from Typhoon Gaemi is rising. At least 33 people died in landslides and flash floods in the wake of the severe tropical storm, according to reports from various police stations. Almost a dozen people died in the severely affected capital, Manila.
At times in the past few days, the water in the streets of Manila was several meters high. In the meantime, most of the water has drained away, so that the full extent of the damage is slowly becoming clear, said eyewitnesses. Some areas of the capital were temporarily inaccessible.
According to the disaster control authorities, more than 1.3 million people in the Southeast Asian island state are affected by the consequences of severe storms. According to the Philippine weather service PAGASA, “Gaemi” had recently intensified the southwest monsoon, which had already brought heavy rainfall since July 11. Around 210,000 people are homeless and have been housed in evacuation centers.
Yesterday, the storm moved from the Philippines to Taiwan, where there were also fatalities, and then to China. Here, more than 150,000 people were brought to safety as a precautionary measure.
The Philippines is hit by an average of around 20 typhoons every year. The worst storm to date, “Haiyan,” killed more than 6,300 people in November 2013.
- source: red, ORF.at/Agencies/picture: Bild von Jeanette Atherton auf Pixabay
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