TYPHOON VAMCO: DEATH TOLL RISES TO 53 IN PHILIPPINES

Sun 15 November 2020:

The number of people killed in the flooding caused by typhoon Vamco, rose to 53 on Sunday in the Philippines.

Authorities said 52 people were injured and 22 are missing in floods, according to media reports.

Homes were left without power and roads are unusable.

In Vietnam, where the storm is forecast to hit, about 460,000 residents in central areas were instructed to prepare for possible evacuations.

Five airports were closed because of the approaching typhoon, train services stopped and flood and landslide warnings were issued.

Typhoon Molave, which took hit at the end of October, killed 22 people in the Philippines and 35 in Vietnam.

Typhoon Goni hit earlier this month and killed 16.

About a million people were evacuated on the island of Luzon due to Typhoon Goni, which is said to be the strongest typhoon this year.

On Thursday, houses were submerged and Filipinos were stranded on rooftops. The hashtag #RescuePH trended on social media, with people posting their whereabouts and contact details, begging for help.

Many were stranded with the elderly, children and pets. Some were rescued on rubber life boats; in one video, a child was floated out in a basin.

Government’s weather agency said on Saturday, Packing winds of up to 165 kph (103 mph), Vamco is forecast to hit a swathe of Vietnam’s central coast from Ha Tinh to Quang Ngai province.

“This is a very strong typhoon,” said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, warning provinces in Vamco’s projected path to prepare for its impact.

The provinces planned to evacuate 468,000 people by the end of Saturday, according to state media citing the government’s disaster management authority.

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