33 killed, 56,000 evacuated as typhoon Bopha hits southern Philippines Thirty three people have died and more than 56,000 were forced to evacuate to shelters as the powerful Typhoon Bopha continues to batter the southern Philippines. Bopha is the strongest typhoon to hit the country in a year. At least five people are reported missing on the central island of Leyte and off the coast of the southern Mindanao Island. Three people were hit by falling trees, while another person suffered a heart attack as the typhoon struck Mindanao, civil defense chief Benito Ramos told AFP. All four are in unknown condition, Ramos said. One other person was reported missing on the central island of Leyte. Philippines President Benigno Aquino warned residents in the areas affected by the typhoon to take the disaster seriously: “It could be the strongest to hit the country this year. But we can minimize the damage and loss of lives if we help each other.” Some 80 domestic flights were grounded and more than 3,000 ferry passengers were stranded after the country’s coast guard ordered vessels to stay in port, AFP quoted the civil defense office as saying. Residents brave heavy rains next to a tilted electric post after Typhoon Bophal hit the city of Tagum, Davao del Norter province, in southern island of Mindanao on December 4, 2012 (AFP Photo) Residents watch as a river rises near their homes due to heavy rains brought about by Typhoon Bophal in Cagayan de Oro City, southern island of Mindanao on December 4, 2012 (AFP Photo) Philippines police forcibly evacuated people from low-lying areas after they refused to join an estimated 25,000 others who had sought refuge at government shelters, Cagayan de Oro city Mayor Vicente Emano said in an interview with ABS-CBN television Forecasters reported that the storm, moving northwest, is slightly weakened at the moment. Bopha is expected to reach the country’s southern island of Negros, bringing heavy rains. A similar disaster hit the same region in 2011, killing 1,500 and affecting around 10 percent of Philippines residents. The country is hit by about 20 typhoons a year, with another storm expected around Christmas.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 05:09:07 +0000
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