Tropical storm Nalgae, which hit the Philippines on Saturday, is now threatening the capital Manila after killing at least 45 people following flooding and landslides in the archipelago, according to a revised number. A previous balance of Civil Protection of the country reported 72 deaths.
The country’s civil defense officials acknowledged that rescue teams sent to the flood-swamped south of the country on Friday made mistakes in their counts, causing some deaths to be recorded twice.
“When we took the balances (…), we realized that there were only 40 dead, 31 injured and 15 missing,” Naguib Sinarimbo, spokesman and head of the Civil Protection Police of the southern region, told AFP.
Five other people died in other parts of the country, the head of the national civil defense said, bringing the new count to 45 dead.
500 houses destroyed
Nalgae, expected since Thursday, finally hit the Philippine main island of Luzon at dawn on Saturday, accompanied by winds reaching 95 km/h, an hour after making landfall on the sparsely inhabited island of Catanduanes. Rescuers are now focusing their efforts on the town of Kusiong, where dozens of bodies were found on Friday.
Heavy rains began Thursday night in the region. The floods have invaded several cities and towns on the island of Mindanao, carrying trees, stones and mud in their wake. Some 500 houses were destroyed.
Manila under threat
But Nalgae could also hit the capital Manila, the Philippine Weather Service warned.
“Widespread flooding and rain-triggered landslides” are expected in the capital of 13 million people, the bulletin said. There is a “minimal to moderate risk of storm” or large waves hitting coastal areas.
“According to our projections, this storm is very strong and we have prepared ourselves,” Alejandro said, adding that 5,000 teams of a few rescuers each were ready to intervene.
Residents who live in or near the path of the storm are asked to stay home.
7,000 people evacuated
More than 7,000 people were evacuated before the storm hit, according to the civil protection office. An average of 20 typhoons and storms hit the Philippines each year, killing people and livestock in their wake and devastating farms, homes, roads and bridges, though the south is rarely affected.
As the planet is affected by global warming, storms and typhoons are becoming more powerful, scientists warn.
In late September, Typhoon Noru killed at least 10 people in the Philippines, including five rescuers. Tropical storm Megi, which hit the country in April, killed at least 148 people and triggered massive landslides.
Source: BFM TV
