Death toll reaches 46 as storm tears through the Philippines

Cebu: The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines hit 46 on Tuesday, officials said, including six crew members of a military helicopter that crashed during the powerful storm that unleashed heavy rains and floods across the central region.

The Huey helicopter went down in Agusan del Sur on the island of Mindanao, where it was conducting a humanitarian disaster response mission, the military said. Six bodies of the crew were recovered, and an investigation was under way.

The crash took place before midday, about 270 kilometres from the island of Cebu, the worst-hit region, where local authorities said 39 people had been killed by drowning or from falling debris. One person was reported dead on the neighbouring island of Bohol.

The Philippines, which is hit by an average of 20 tropical storms each year, is recovering from a run of disasters, including earthquakes and severe weather events in recent months. In September, Super Typhoon Ragasa swept across northern Luzon, forcing schools and government offices to shut down as it brought fierce winds and torrential rain.

Although Kalmaegi, locally named Tino, has gradually lost strength since making landfall early on Tuesday, it continued to lash the country with winds of 120km/h and gusts of 165km/h as it swept across the Visayas islands headed for northern Palawan and towards the South China Sea.

Tens of thousands 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.

Cebu Provincial Information Officer Ainjeliz Orong said the number of casualties in the province had suddenly jumped, from three reported earlier in the day, as rescue operations were under way and information was just starting to come through.

“Search and rescue efforts continue, and there are missing and unaccounted individuals,” Orong said by phone.