Typhoon Kammuri: At least four dead as storm hammers Philippines

Rebecca Speare-Cole3 December 2019

At least four people have been killed after Typhoon Kammuri slammed into the Philippines.

Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated from high-risk villages while Manilla's international airport was shut on Tuesday as fierce winds and rain hit the country.

Four people have reportedly died so far and several others have been injured.

Officials attributed the low casualty figure to the early evacuation of villagers from communities prone to high waves, flash floods and landslides.

Typhoon Kammuri hits the Philippines - In Pictures

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One villager was electrocuted while fixing the roof of his house in Libmanan town in Camarines Sur province in the hard-hit Bicol region, regional disaster response officer Claudio Yucot said.

Meanwhile Humerlito Dolor, governor of Oriental Mindoro, said a man died after being pinned by a falling tree and another was hit by a tin roof in the province, which was one of the last to be lashed by the storm.

Motorists navigate a flooded highway during the onslaught of Typhoon Kammuri
Getty Images

A construction worker on a motorcycle was also hit by a falling tree and died in the port city of Ormoc in Leyte province, police said.

"There could have been more if we did not do pre-emptive evacuations," Mr Dolor told reporters.

Residents stand among their destroyed houses after Typhoon Kammuri hit Sorsogon Province in Philippines
via REUTERS

The typhoon has toppled trees and electrical posts, ripped off tin roofs and battered a provincial airport as it hit island provinces near the northern Luzon island before moving out over the South China Sea.

The storm weakened but remained dangerous with maximum sustained winds of 81mph and gusts of up to 124mph as it passed, forecasters said.

People walk over sand bags as they try to avoid a flooded portion of the entrance of the venues of the South East Asian games
AP

Kammuri's pounding rain and wind damaged the airport in Legazpi city in Albay province, collapsing a portion of its ceiling, scattering chairs in the arrival and departure areas and shattering glass panes.

A truck turned on its side after being buffeted by strong winds in the city, near Mount Mayon, one of the country's most active volcanos.

Residents stand among their damaged houses after Typhoon Kammuri hit Legazpi City
REUTERS

Albay is one of several provinces in the Bicol region which lost post power due to toppled posts and downed transmission lines.

Nearly two million people were affected by the power outages, officials said.

In Manila, officials shut the international airport for seven hours as the typhoon roared through provinces south of the capital. More than 400 domestic and international flights were cancelled, airport manager Ed Monreal said.

Motorists navigate a flooded highway during the onslaught of Typhoon Kammuri on December 3, 2019 in Lipa town, Batangas province, Philippines
Getty Images

Authorities moved thousands of Boy Scouts attending a jamboree in the mountainous town of Botolan in the north-western province of Zambales.

The Philippines postponed several competitions in the Southeast Asian Games, including wind surfing, polo and tennis in Manila and outlying provinces.

Organisers said other events would be delayed if needed for safety but there was no plan to extend the 11-day games which opened on Saturday.

The coastguard suspended sea travel in the north east, stranding more than 7,000 travellers along with thousands of cargo ships and smaller watercraft in the archipelago nation.

The Philippines is battered by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year and has frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, making the archipelago of more than 100 million people one of the world's most disaster-prone nations.

Evacuating entire villages and communities and providing supplies to huge numbers of residents camped in schools and government buildings used as emergency shelters is common during typhoons, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, largely because many mostly poor communities are in disaster-prone areas.

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