According to local authorities, among the victims are six people who died in the crash of a military helicopter that was surveying areas affected by the typhoon. The other victims resulted from flooding, falling trees, and building collapses. More than 430,000 residents have been forced to leave their homes. The disaster affected 24 provinces on the largest islands of the Philippines: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. These regions are experiencing power outages, and many flights have been canceled.
The typhoon brought heavy rains, hurricane-force winds, and huge waves. According to the meteorological service Pagasa, "Kalmaegi" has weakened, but wind gusts are still reaching 180 kilometers per hour.
Numerous settlements have been submerged, cars have been swept away or overturned, and residents sought refuge on the roofs of buildings. In some places, the destruction has been catastrophic.
According to meteorologists, "Kalmaegi," known in the Philippines as "Tino," made landfall seven times, the last of which occurred early in the morning in El Nido, located in the west of Palawan province. It is expected that the typhoon will leave the Philippines on Wednesday or Thursday and head towards Vietnam. Heavy rains are also forecasted for the northern regions of Thailand over the weekend.
Meanwhile, meteorologists are warning of the approach of a new tropical cyclone, which is likely to make landfall on Friday or Saturday and could develop into a super typhoon by the weekend, with wind speeds exceeding 240 kilometers per hour.
The Philippines faces approximately 20 typhoons each year. The most devastating was Typhoon "Haiyan," which claimed the lives of more than 6,300 people in November 2013.
