Manila, Sept. 4, (dpa/GNA) – The death toll from floods and landslides caused by typhoon Yagi has reached 16 in the Philippines, with 21 reported missing, the national disaster agency and police said Wednesday.
Fifteen people were injured and about 1.7 million people were affected by the bad weather in 26 provinces and the capital of Metro Manila since the weekend, the disaster agency said.
Of the affected residents, 106,834 people were displaced as floods reached up to chest deep in some areas, the agency added.
Nine of the fatalities died in flash floods and landslides in Rizal province, just east of Manila, according to police.
Five more victims drowned in floods, while one died from electrocution in the cities of Cebu and Naga and the provinces of Negros Occidental and Northern Samar, the disaster agency said.
About 50 areas were still flooded, mostly in the Eastern Visayas region, the agency added.
Yagi has intensified into a typhoon and was packing maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 157 kilometres per hour, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
It has exited the Philippines and was forecast to affect Hong Kong before making landfall over southern China during the weekend, according to the Philippines’ weather bureau.
The typhoon was expected to move towards northern Vietnam and also bring rains over the north and north-east regions of Thailand, according to forecasts.
GNA