MANILA (Reuters)
At least eight people were killed as super typhoon Man-Yi hit the Philippine archipelago over the weekend, unleashing fierce winds and strong rains that triggered landslides and storm surges, authorities said.
Man-Yi, the sixth storm to hit the country in a span of one month, made landfall in the eastern province of Catanduanes on Saturday, but weakened as it moved across the main Luzon island and was later downgraded to a typhoon as it exited the landmass on Monday
A family of seven, including an eight-year-old girl, died after a landslide in a northern provincial town in Nueva Vizcaya buried their home, the disaster office in the area said.
In Daet town in Camarines Norte province, a 72-year-old man was killed in a vehicular accident caused by hanging cables due to the storm's strong winds, the provincial disaster office said.
"One casualty is one casualty too many. So, that is unfortunate," President Ferdinand Marcos Jr told reporters, referring to the death in Camarines Norte. "We will now carry on with the rescue of those isolated areas and the continuing relief for those who have been displaced."
On average, about 20 tropical storms strike the Philippines each year, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, flooding, and landslides.
Man-Yi is approaching Vietnam with maximum sustained winds of 110 kilometres per hour (68.35 mph) and gustiness of up to 135kmph.
In rice-producing Nueva Ecija province in northern Luzon, farmlands and villages were flooded, worrying farmers such as Danilo Dagdagan due to the impact on crops and livelihood.
"The floodwater from the typhoon and the surrounding provinces gushed here because the elevation of the land here is lower," Dagdagan told Reuters inside the living room of his flooded home. "It makes our lives difficult, it's hard for us especially for those without sufficient food."
International aid has poured in to assist the Philippines in its relief operations, including from the US.
Visiting US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he has authorised US forces to provide direct support to respond to the super typhoon.
"We've also secured another million dollars in urgent humanitarian aid, and that will help surge aid to the Philippine people."
In October, Tropical Storm Trami and Typhoon Kong-rey triggered floods and landslides that killed 162 people, with 22 still missing, government figures show.