Metro Manila, Philippines – At least 85 people were killed in the Visayas after Typhoon Tino (international name: Kalmaegi) wreaked havoc, with rescuers searching for 75 missing people on Wednesday, Nov. 5.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said 49 deaths were reported in Cebu.
It said other recorded deaths were from Bohol, Capiz, Leyte, and Negros Island Region.
The list included six air force personnel killed in a helicopter crash in Agusan del Sur. They were deployed for the typhoon response mission.
The NDRRMC added that at least 17 people were injured.
Authorities are looking for 13 persons tagged as missing in Cebu, and another 62 missing in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental.
A number of areas in Cebu were submerged in flood on Tuesday. The province was struck by a 6.9-magnitude earthquake last month.
Cebu Gov. Pam Baricuatro has declared a state of calamity to fast track access to the calamity fund, implement price freeze on prime and basic commodities, prevent profiteering, and ramp up response and recovery efforts.
The Visayas was ground zero for “Tino,” which sustained its typhoon category throughout and is now moving farther away from the country towards Vietnam.
The typhoon affected more than 700,000 people mostly in the Visayas, including over 348,000 people in evacuation centers.
Power restoration
Meanwhile, authorities are working double time to restore power supply and communication lines, as well as fast-track clearing operations.
In an online briefing, the Department of Energy reported 1.4 million households or around seven million people were without power supply.
“We’re limited with the natural forces kasi may mga baha pa [because of the flood],” said Energy Secretary Sharon Garin.
“First, safety muna [Safety first], then we restore, hopefully, if everything works out, within the week sana maayos na [we hope to fix] most of the problems that we have,” she added.
Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said fuel supply is sufficient in affected areas.
