At least 2 dead, 4 missing as typhoon hits Philippines

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) – At least two people have been killed and four more are missing as strong typhoon hit the Philippines’ Bicol region on Thursday.

The country’s Office of Civil Defense said the victims were aged 68 and 70.

Typhoon Vamco, locally known as Ulysses, has brought torrential rains across Bicol, with more than 50,500 families, or over 180,500 individuals, shifted to safe places, the Philippines News Agency reported.

The rains triggered floods in 37 towns, submerging houses, commercial establishments, roads, and rice fields.

The typhoon also hit many parts of the country’s main Luzon island, including Metro Manila.

“Rest assured, the government will not leave anybody behind,” President Rodrigo Duterte said in an address to the nation.

Ordering government departments to rush relief goods to the affected people, he promised financial aid and rehabilitation and counseling.

The Philippines, the first major landmass facing the Pacific cyclone belt, faces an average of 20 storms and typhoons every year.

This latest storm has come just days after the Philippines was hit by Typhoon Goni, which left at least 26 people dead and displaced a million more.

With wind speeds exceeding 300 kilometers per hour, Typhoon Goni was reported to be one of the strongest storms to hit the Philippines in years.