More than 100 dead in the Philippines

Manila – It was the most violent typhoon in the Philippines so far this year: More than 100 people were killed in the passage of cyclone “Rai” in the Southeast Asian island nation, although the number of victims could rise. The search and rescue work in the worst affected areas of the vast archipelago is far from over. Thousands of forces from the military, police, coast guard and fire services were deployed.

The governor of the island province of Bohol, Arthur Yap, told the news agency on Sunday that the death toll on the devastated island was now 72. Ten other people died in the Dinagat Islands, like the local official responsible for information policy, Jeffrey Crisostomo, the news agency AFP said. Overall, the confirmed death toll rose to 108.

Head of state collects money for victims, government bankrupt

“Rai”, called “Odette” by the locals, swept across the southern and central islands of the Philippines on Thursday and Friday with winds of 195 kilometers per hour. Roofs flew off houses, electricity pylons fell and numerous villages were flooded. In many areas the power supply and the telephone network were paralyzed. Hospitals were also damaged.

Many people were still missing after the worst typhoon in the island nation this year. More than 300,000 people had to flee, many of whom can no longer return to their homes. “I saw how typhoon ‘Odette’ devastated the provincial capital piece by piece,” said Crisostomo to the radio station DZBB. “Large tables as heavy as a man flew through the air.” The rescue and clean-up work was in full swing at the weekend: Thousands of emergency services cleared blocked streets with excavators and supplied cut-off areas with drinking water, food and medical aid by ship.

Head of State Rodrigo Duterte visited some of the hardest hit areas on Saturday and pledged to “raise money” to help the victims. At the same time, he admitted that the government was bankrupt. Reconstruction will be “a long, hard road for the people,” said the head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the Philippines, Alberto Bocanegra. In an appeal for donations, the aid organization asked for the equivalent of a good 19 million euros.

Serious damage was also caused on the holiday island of Siargao and the northern tip of Mindanao. “Everything flew through the air, it was like the end of the world,” reported the tour guide Raphy Repdos from the island of Siargao, where a particularly large number of surfers and holidaymakers were staying in the run-up to Christmas. Aerial photographs published by the military show that countless houses were destroyed in the most important island town, General Luna. On Sunday, tourists were taken off the island by plane and boat.

“Rai” hit land at a speed of 195 km / h

From the neighboring island of Dinagat, Governor Arlene Bag-ao reported that the entire island had been “razed to the ground”. “Walls and roofs were torn down and blown away as if they were made of paper.” The damage was comparable to that of super typhoon “Haiyan” in 2013 and possibly even worse. At the time, more than 7,300 people were killed or have been missing – it was the deadliest typhoon in the Philippines on record.

“Rai” hit land on Siargao on Thursday with winds of up to 195 kilometers per hour. The classification as a super typhoon corresponds to a category five hurricane in the United States. Globally, around five storms of this strength usually occur each year.

“Rai” hit the Philippines at the end of the typhoon season. Most violent cyclones develop between July and October. Scientists have long warned that typhoons are increasing in magnitude due to man-made climate change.

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