Super typhoon Rai kills more than 30 in Philippines

At least 33 people were killed by the strongest typhoon to hit this year. Philippinesauthorities reported on Saturday, who have “alarming” reports of destruction on the islands most affected by the storm.

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More than 300,000 people fled their homes and beach hotels when Typhoon Rai slammed into the southern and central regions of the country, knocking out power lines and knocking down power poles.

Rai was a super typhoon when it struck the popular resort island of Siargao on Thursday, with maximum winds of 195 km / h.

Aerial photos released by the army showed the extent of the damage in the city of General Luna, where many surfers and vacationers flock for the end of the year parties, with houses whose roof was torn off and debris on the ground.

The neighboring island of Dinagat was “washed away” by the storm, Gov. Arlene Bag-ao said on Facebook, listing houses, boats and land destroyed.

The force of the Rai winds dropped to 150 km / h as it advanced through the archipelago, leaving in its wake floods in villages, uprooted trees and destroyed wooden houses.

On Saturday, the super typhoon was over the South China Sea and headed toward Vietnam, according to the national weather service.

“This is one of the most powerful storms that have hit the Philippines in a month of December in the last decade,” Alberto Bocanegra, head of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in the Asian archipelago, told AFP.

“The information we receive and the images we receive are alarming,” he added.

The last official balance speaks of at least 33 deaths.

In Negros Occidental province, a person in charge of the disaster management area confirmed the death of 13 people, most of them drowned, and added that another 50 are missing in flooded areas.

“We began to urge people to evacuate from Wednesday, but many were reluctant to do so,” that official, Salvador Mesa, told AFP.

More than 18,000 military, police, coast guard and firefighters will join the search and rescue efforts in the worst affected areas, Mark Timbal, spokesman for the national disaster agency, told AFP.

“There has been severe damage” in Surigao and Siargao (south), Timbal said in reference to the areas most affected by the typhoon.

Communications fell in Siargao and the neighboring city of Surigao, in the north of the southern island of Mindanao.

– “All destroyed” –

The Philippine Coast Guard distributed photos on social media from the city of Surigao showing roofless buildings, destroyed wooden structures and uprooted palm trees.

In aerial images, large rice fields covered with water could be seen.

At least three people were killed and dozens injured in Surigao, Mayor Ernesto Matugas told ABS-CBN.

The deputy governor of Dinagat Island, Nilo Demerey, said the storm left at least six people dead there.

Residents “are trying to repair their houses because even the evacuation centers were destroyed. They have nowhere to take refuge, everything has been destroyed, “Demerey told the same media.

Rai hit the Philippines late in the typhoon season, as most cyclones typically occur between July and October.

Scientists have warned that typhoons are getting stronger and rapidly intensifying as an effect of climate change.

The Philippines, considered one of the countries most vulnerable to the impact of climate change, is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year, which often destroy crops, houses and infrastructure in impoverished areas.

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