Typhoon Goni hits Philippines, 10 people killed and 3 missing

Deadly Typhoon Goni has claimed the lives of at least 10 people and 3 other people have been reported missing. Goni has been deemed to be this year’s strongest typhoon across the world. It wreaked havoc through Luzon, the south of Philippines’ main island on Sunday, as per a government report.

Volcanic rocks and mud from the Mayon Volcano spread throughout the region, burying over 300 houses in Albay Province in Bicol.

Coastal towns were struck with the violent storm, overflowing rivers and destroying dikes. Numerous villages have been submerged after this fatal typhoon.

According to the office of Civil Defence, the demised and missing people are in the Bicol region, with 9 people in Albay.

The Albay governor stated that a child aged 5 was flown away in the flood in his province. The reports are yet to be corroborated by the disaster management agency.

Property damage

The sea level has been in constant observation as Goni made landfall on Sunday.

Over 300 houses have been swamped under the debris from the volcano, as per the Guinobatan municipality, Representative Zaldy Co of the Ako Bicol party.

“Several people believed to be buried alive,” the party list stated with photos of the destruction.

The typhoon seemed to lose pace after the third landfall at Quezon Province and at the Batangas before moving towards the South China Sea.

Saving locals from Goni

Local people in the region have been sheltered in evacuation centres in Manila.

President Rodrigo Duterte has been analysing the government’s disaster response from his southern hometown of Davao city, as informed by the presidential spokesman Harry Roque.

With more than 345,000 people in evacuation centres, the concerns relating to the coronavirus infections have been raised.

A number of flights were cancelled as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport was shut for a day.

Crop damage was nominal with about 1.07 tons of rice which was not milled and 45,703 tons of corn being secured before the onset of the typhoon owing to the warning issued to the farmers, as recorded by the agriculture ministry.