Typhoon Kalmaegi leaves 85 dead in central Philippines; dozens still missing

Typhoon Kalmaegi — also being called Tino — has claimed at least 85 lives and left 75 others missing across the central Philippines, officials said on Wednesday, as widespread flooding engulfed communities, swept away vehicles, and stranded residents on rooftops in a region still struggling to recover from a deadly earthquake just weeks earlier.

Among those killed were six members of a Philippine Air Force crew, whose helicopter crashed in the southern province of Agusan del Sur on Tuesday. The military said the team had been en route to deliver humanitarian relief to provinces battered by the storm. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Meteorologists said Kalmaegi moved away from western Palawan province and out into the South China Sea before noon on Wednesday, packing sustained winds of up to 130 kmph (81 mph) and gusts reaching 180 kmph (112 mph).

Cebu province bears the brunt

Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV, deputy administrator of the Office of Civil Defence (OCD), said the central province of Cebu was worst hit when Kalmaegi barrelled through on Tuesday. Torrential rain triggered flash floods, swelling rivers and tributaries, and submerging entire neighbourhoods.

According to provincial officials, the flooding caught residents off guard, forcing many to scramble to their roofs to escape the rapidly rising waters. “We did everything we could for the typhoon, but, you know, there are really some unexpected things like flash floods,” Cebu governor Pamela Baricuatro told the Associated Press by phone.

The Philippine Red Cross reported receiving a flood of distress calls from residents trapped on rooftops in Cebu City and surrounding towns. “People were pleading for rescue as water levels rose,” said Red Cross secretary-general Gwendolyn Pang.

At least 49 people drowned in Cebu alone, while others were killed in landslides and by falling debris, according to the OCD. Thirteen people remain missing in Cebu, while another 62 were reported missing in the nearby provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental.

Volunteer rescuer Caloy Ramirez described scenes of devastation in a once-upmarket riverside community in Cebu City. “The flooding turned everything upside down — SUVs piled up, houses torn apart,” he said. “We always expect the worst, but what I saw yesterday was the worst. You could see the relief on people’s faces when they realised they were being rescued.”

Governor Baricuatro suggested the disaster’s scale may have been exacerbated by years of quarrying that clogged rivers and by substandard flood-control infrastructure. “Our flood defences clearly did not hold up,” she admitted.

Her comments come amid growing public anger over a national corruption scandal involving faulty or non-existent flood-control projects. Allegations of misused public funds have already sparked protests across the Philippines in recent months.

Cebu, home to over 2.4 million people and a major hub of trade and tourism, has declared a state of calamity to speed up the release of emergency funds and relief operations.

The province was still reeling from a 6.9 magnitude earthquake on 30 September, which left at least 79 people dead and thousands displaced after homes and buildings collapsed.

Baricuatro said many of those left homeless by the quake had been moved from makeshift tents into sturdier evacuation centres just before Kalmaegi struck — a decision that may have saved numerous lives. Northern Cebu towns hardest hit by the earthquake were largely spared from the typhoon’s floods, she added.

Evacuations and disruptions across the country

Before Kalmaegi made landfall, authorities said more than 387,000 people had been evacuated to safer ground across the eastern and central regions. Ferry and fishing operations were suspended as waves intensified, stranding over 3,500 passengers and cargo truck drivers in nearly 100 ports nationwide, according to the coast guard. At least 186 domestic flights were also cancelled.

The Philippines endures an average of 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year, alongside frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone nations.

In neighbouring Vietnam, authorities were preparing for Kalmaegi’s arrival as the storm tracked westward across the South China Sea. Central provinces, already reeling from days of torrential rain that caused flash floods and landslides, were bracing for another deluge.

State media reported that fishing boats had been ordered back to port, while local officials readied evacuation plans, reinforced shelters, and stockpiled food supplies. Forecasters expect Kalmaegi to reach Vietnam’s coast by Friday morning.

Thailand’s weather agency also issued warnings for northern, eastern, and central regions, cautioning that heavy rains from Friday through the weekend could trigger flash floods, landslides, and river overflows.

With AP/PTI inputs