Typhoon Kalmaegi makes landfall in Vietnam after over 100 killed in Philippines

A state of emergency was declared in the Philippines on Thursday, as ITV News’ Charanpreet Khaira reports

Typhoon Kalmaegi made landfall in Vietnam on Thursday, lashing the region with fierce winds and torrential rain after more than 100 people were killed in the Philippines.

A state of emergency was declared in the Philippines on Thursday, after at least 114 people died in the deadliest natural disaster to hit the country this year.

Typhoon Kalmaegi flooded entire towns on Cebu, the region’s most populous island. A further 127 people remain missing and 82 are injured, according to authorities.

The storm reached sustained winds of up to 220kph (137mph) as it made landfall north of Gai Lai province in central Vietnam on Thursday.

Vietnam’s central provinces are already reeling from floods due to record-breaking rains. Kalmaegi is forecast to dump more than 24 inches of rain in some areas.

People walk under the rain brought by Typhoon Kalmaegi in Khanh Hoa, Vietnam. / Credit: AP

Authorities said more than 537,000 people had been evacuated from five provinces as floodwaters began to rise and landslides loomed.

In Ly Son Island, in the Quang Ngai province, three fishermen were reported missing after their boat was swept away by strong waves. A search operation was later suspended due to worsening weather.

In coastal cities like Danang, waves of up to 3 metres (10 feet) high battered the coast, and strong winds uprooted trees in Dak Lak province. Many homes have also been left without power.

The country’s financial hub, Ho Chi Minh City, faces a heightened risk of severe floods. High tides were expected on the Saigon River, and authorities warned that up to four inches of expected rainfall could inundate low-lying areas.

Residents try to salvage personal belongings as they return to their damaged homes in Cebu. / Credit: AP

In the Philippines, Kalmaegi affected nearly 2 million people and displaced more than 560,000 people, the Office of Civil Defence said.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a “state of natural calamity” on Thursday during a meeting with disaster-response officials to assess the typhoon’s aftermath. The move allows the government to disburse emergency funds faster and prevent food hoarding and overpricing.

But while dealing with the disastrous impact of Kalmaegi in the country’s central region, disaster-response officials warned that another cyclone in the Pacific could strengthen into a super typhoon which could batter the northern Philippines early next week.

President Marcos said the combined impact of Kalmaegi and the approaching new typhoon covers about two-thirds of the archipelago.

Residents walk along debris along a shoreline after Typhoon Kalmaegi caused devastation in communities at Talisay City, Cebu. / Credit: AP

Among the dead were six people who were killed when a Philippine air force helicopter crashed in the southern province of Agusan del Sur on Tuesday. The crew was on its way to provide humanitarian help to provinces affected by the typhoon.

More than one-and-a-half months’ worth of rainfall fell in just one day on Tuesday in metropolitan Cebu, state forecasters said.

It set off flash floods and caused rivers and waterways to swell in the city and outlying towns. The resulting flooding engulfed residential communities, forcing residents to climb onto their roofs as floodwaters quickly rose.

At least 71 people died in Cebu, mostly due to drowning, while 65 others were reported missing and 69 were injured.

Officials added that 62 others were reported missing in the central province of Negros Occidental.

“We did everything we can for the typhoon but there are really some unexpected things like flash floods,” the governor of Cebu, Pamela Baricuatro, told the Associated Press.

Vehicles lie piled on after flooding caused by Typhoon Kalmaegi in Cebu city, central Philippines. / Credit: AP

The problems may have been made worse by years of quarrying that clogged nearby rivers, which overflowed, and substandard flood control projects in the province, Baricuatro said.

A corruption scandal involving substandard or non-existent flood control projects across the Philippines has sparked public outrage and street protests in recent months.

Cebu was still recovering from a 6.9 magnitude earthquake in September, which left at least 79 people dead and thousands displaced when houses collapsed or were severely damaged.