Typhoon Kalmaegi Kills 66, Leaves 26 Missing — Cebu Devastated as Floods Compound Quake Recovery

MANILA — Typhoon Kalmaegi has killed at least 66 people and left 26 others missing across the central Philippines, officials said Wednesday, as flash floods and swollen waterways swept through communities still recovering from a deadly September earthquake.

Helicopter crash claims six lives

Among the dead were six Philippine Air Force personnel who died when a helicopter en route to deliver humanitarian assistance crashed in Agusan del Sur in the south, military officials said. Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the crash.

Central Cebu hardest hit

Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV, deputy administrator of the Office of Civil Defense, and provincial officials said most fatalities were reported in Cebu province after Kalmaegi struck on Tuesday. The storm set off sudden flash floods that engulfed neighborhoods and sent residents scrambling onto rooftops to wait for rescue.

The Philippine Red Cross received numerous distress calls from people stranded on roofs, its secretary-general Gwendolyn Pang said. At least 49 people drowned in Cebu while others were killed by landslides and falling debris; the province accounts for 13 of the 26 people listed as missing, the Office of Civil Defense reported.

“We did everything we can 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.

Volunteer rescuer Caloy Ramirez described chaotic scenes in an upscale riverside neighborhood of Cebu City, where floodwaters overturned SUVs and left homes badly damaged. Residents said water inundated first floors within minutes, forcing families to retreat to upper levels and roofs.

Concerns about flood control and quarrying

Officials and local leaders warned that years of quarrying that clogged rivers, along with allegedly substandard flood-control projects, may have worsened the disaster. A national corruption scandal over poor or unfinished flood-control works has provoked public outrage and protests in recent months.

Cebu — home to more than 2.4 million people — declared a state of calamity to allow faster release of emergency funds. The province was still recovering from a 6.9-magnitude earthquake on Sept. 30 that killed at least 79 people and left thousands displaced; many northern quake victims had been moved from makeshift tents to sturdier evacuation centers before the typhoon arrived.

Evacuations and regional impact

Forecasters said Kalmaegi moved away from western Palawan into the South China Sea before noon Wednesday, with sustained winds of up to 130 kph (81 mph) and gusts to 180 kph (112 mph). Authorities said more than 387,000 people in eastern and central provinces evacuated to safer ground before the storm made landfall.

Rough seas led to bans on ferries and fishing boats, leaving more than 3,500 passengers and cargo drivers stranded at nearly 100 ports, the coast guard reported. At least 186 domestic flights were canceled.

Kalmaegi was forecast to approach central Vietnam by Friday morning. Central Vietnam — still reeling from days of record rainfall, flash floods and landslides — readied shelters, evacuation plans and food supplies. Thailand’s weather agency warned northern, eastern and central regions to expect heavy rain from Friday into the weekend, with risks of flash flooding, landslides and river overflows.

The Philippines typically faces about 20 typhoons and storms each year and is also prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.

Associated Press journalists Aniruddha Ghosal in Hanoi and Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul in Bangkok contributed to this report.