Philippines death toll rises to 11 as storm Bualoi bears down on Vietnam
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Among the worst hit was the tiny island of Biliran, where eight people died and two are missing.
PHOTO: AFP
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MANILA – The death toll from Severe Tropical Storm Bualoi rose to 11 in the Philippines on Sept 27 as the cyclone bore down on Vietnam, the authorities said.
The storm battered small islands in the centre of the Philippines on Sept 26, toppling trees and power pylons, ripping roofs off homes, unleashing floods and forcing 400,000 people to evacuate
Among the worst hit was the tiny island of Biliran, where eight people died and two are missing, provincial disaster official Noel Lungay told AFP by telephone.
“There was widespread flooding and some roads remained underwater early today. Evacuees are starting to return to their homes as the weather improves,” he said.
The Office of Civil Defence in Manila earlier reported three other deaths on the nearby islands of Masbate and Ticao, including those of two people crushed by a tree and a wall that were brought down by the strong winds.
Fourteen people remain missing across the central Philippines, it said without providing details, while more than 200,000 remained inside evacuation centres across the storm’s path.
Severe Tropical Storm Bualoi came on the heels of Super Typhoon Ragasa which killed 14 people
The tropical storm was tearing across the South China Sea on Sept 27 at typhoon strength of 120kmh, the Philippines’ state weather service said.
It was forecast to be off the coast of central Vietnam by the afternoon of Sept 28.
The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year, routinely striking disaster-prone areas where millions of people live in poverty.
Scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful as the world warms because of the effects of human-driven climate change.
The storms come as the Philippine public seethes over a scandal involving bogus flood-control projects believed to have cost taxpayers billions of dollars.
Thousands took to the streets on Sept 21 to vent their anger, with the peaceful demonstrations later overshadowed by street battles that saw police vehicles set ablaze, and the windows of a precinct headquarters shattered. AFP
