Philippines: at least 25 dead after typhoon Fung-wong. Rescue teams intervene in isolated areas
Rescue teams from the Philippines, equipped with excavators and chainsaws, began cleaning up the areas devastated by Typhoon Fung-wong on Tuesday, taking advantage of falling water levels in flooded villages. According to a new balance announced by the authorities, at least 25 people lost their lives, reports AFP.
PHOTO: Video Capture / dw.com
Fung-wong, which prompted the evacuation of 1.4 million people, has been downgraded to a tropical storm, with its rains already heading towards Taiwan, where it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday.
The typhoon hit the east coast of the Philippines on Sunday evening, covering almost the entire territory, just a few days after the passage of typhoon Kalmaegi, which caused the death of at least 232 people, according to the latest official data.
In the coastal province of Isabela, a town with 6,000 inhabitants remained isolated on Tuesday, according to the civil defense. The situation is similar in parts of the neighboring province of Nueva Vizcaya, where landslides have made it difficult for rescue teams to access.
“It's hard for us to reach those areas”said Alvin Ayson, spokesman for the Cagayan Valley region. “Some residents are temporarily housed in accommodation centers, but the reconstruction will take time“, he added.
Among the victims is a 10-year-old child from the province of Nueva Vizcaya. In total, 19 of the 25 deaths occurred in the Cordillera region, the country's largest mountain range, most from landslides, civil defense official Rafaelito Alejandro said.
According to him, the operations of “first aid” it could take weeks, and on the island of Catanduanes, the most affected, access to drinking water could only be resumed in 20 days.
In the province of Cagayan, located in the north of the island of Luzon, torrential rains caused the Chico River to overflow, forcing the locals to take refuge on the roofs of their houses.
“Rescuers use boats to reach people stuck in streets where the water reaches up to chest level”reported an AFP journalist on the spot.
Fung-wong is currently on his way to Taiwan, where authorities closed schools and offices in several counties on Tuesday. Up to 400 millimeters of precipitation is expected in the next 24 hours. President Lai Ching-te urged the population to avoid “mountain areas, beaches and other dangerous places” to get safely through this period of extreme weather.
