Powerful Typhoon Kills At Least 145 in Philippines

Rescuers raced to reach survivors Sunday after a powerful typhoon hit the island nation. The storm packed sustained winds topping 120 mph, dumped heavy rains on the Philippines , and forced the evacuations of 300,000 residents. The typhoon triggered landslides and floods and killed at least 145 people. Authorities feared the death toll from Typhoon Rai could soar. Mayors of only 33 of 48 towns in Bohol province pummeled by the storm could report on casualties because of downed communications systems.

The super-typhoon – a classification comparable to a Category 4 or 5 hurricane in the US – made landfall Thursday with gusts of up to 168 mph as one of the most powerful storms in recent years to strike the island nation in Southeast Asia. Rai ripped apart homes, hospitals, and schools. Many who died drowned in flash floods, were buried in landslides, or were hit by falling trees or collapsing walls. 

The typhoon knocked out electricity to at least 227 cities, and most remained without power Sunday. Emergency workers scrambled to restore power and provide clean drinking water to residents.

President Rodrigo Duterte pledged to provide $40 million for relief and recovery efforts, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies launched an emergency international appeal seeking $22 million in aid.

Governor Arthur Yap of the central Philippines said, “It is very clear that the damage sustained by Bohol is great and all-encompassing.”

The 2013 Super Typhoon Haiyan, the most powerful storm on record to hit the Philippines, killed an estimated 6,500 people and caused widespread destruction. 

Photo from Reuters.