Deaths as tropical storm Megi hits Philippines

At least 25 people were killed in landslides and floods caused by tropical storm Megi as it hit the central and southern coasts of the Southeast Asian country.

Whipping up seas, the storm forced dozens of ports to suspend operations and stranded nearly 6,000 people at the start of one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
AFP

Whipping up seas, the storm forced dozens of ports to suspend operations and stranded nearly 6,000 people at the start of one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

At least 25 people have been killed in landslides and flooding across central and southern Philippines, authorities said, after tropical storm Megi dumped heavy rain and disrupted travel ahead of the Easter holidays.

More than 13,000 people fled to emergency shelters as the storm pounded the region on Sunday, the national disaster agency said, flooding houses, inundating fields, cutting off roads and knocking out power.

In the central province of Leyte, the bodies of 22 people were recovered after being buried under a landslide, Joemen Collado, police chief of Baybay city, told reporters.

Leyte's death toll adds to another three people killed on the main southern island of Mindanao, the national disaster agency said.

Photos posted on Facebook and verified by AFP show several houses buried in mud up to the rooftops in Bunga, one of the affected villages in Leyte.

"Yesterday the rain was so hard, it was non-stop for more than 24 hours," resident Hannah Cala Vitangcol told AFP news agency.

The 26-year-old teacher fled with her family to a hotel Monday after waking to find nearby homes had been covered in an avalanche of mud.

"I was crying because I know the people buried there and I was also scared because there were mountains behind our house," she said.

READ MORE: Thousands evacuated as monsoon rains flood parts of Philippines

Philippine Coast Guard and police personnel rescued people from their homes in the flooded town of Abuyog, carrying residents onto orange stretchers laid on floating boats.

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First major storm in 2022

Tropical storm Megi – known in the Philippines by its local name Agaton – is the first major storm to hit the disaster-prone country this year.

Whipping up seas, it forced dozens of ports to suspend operations and stranded nearly 6,000 people at the start of one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

The Philippines re-opened to fully vaccinated tourists from most countries in February after lifting most Covid-19 restrictions, and Easter is a popular holiday for domestic tourists.

The storm comes four months after a super typhoon devastated swathes of the archipelago nation, killing more than 400 people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.

READ MORE: Tens of thousands evacuate as super typhoon Rai slams into Philippines

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