At least seven people were killed yesterday as Typhoon Goni pounded the Philippines, ripping off roofs, toppling power lines and causing flooding in the hardest-hit areas where hundreds of thousands have fled their homes.
The strongest typhoon of the year also triggered deadly landslides that buried a number of houses in the southern part of the most populous island of Luzon, officials said.
Goni was a classified a “super typhoon” when it made landfall on Catanduanes Island before dawn, packing maximum sustained wind speeds of 225kph.
Photo: EPA-EFE
It was downgraded a few hours later as it swept across Luzon and reduced intensity as it headed toward the capital, Manila, where the sprawling city of 12 million was bracing for strong winds in the evening.
“Destructive winds and intense rainfall” were affecting areas in the typhoon’s path, including provinces near the capital, the state weather forecaster said.
At least seven people were killed in Albay province, the Philippine Office of Civil Defense said in a statement.
Several of the victims died in rain-induced landslides of volcanic ash that police said engulfed numerous houses in two adjacent villages near the active Mayon volcano.
“We have recovered three bodies and are looking for three more,” said Major Domingo Tapel, chief of police in the town of Guinobatan.
The roofs of at least two evacuation centers were torn off by the force of the wind, while floods inundated some villages.
“The winds are fierce. We can hear the trees being pummeled. It’s very strong,” Francia Mae Borras, 21, said from her home in the nearby coastal city of Legazpi.
Nearly 400,000 people have fled their homes, most of them to evacuation centers, the Office of Civil Defense said.
Officials in affected areas have reported power cuts, which are disrupting telecommunication services and hampering efforts to assess the extent of the damage.
“Our roads have a lot of debris from the mountains such as branches and sand, some which came from Mayon. Some roads are unpassable,” said Camalig Mayor Carlos Irwin Baldo of his town near Legazpi.
In Manila, the airport was closed and residents were evacuated from low-lying slum areas at risk of being inundated by storm surges.
Thousands of soldiers and police were on standby to help with evacuations and rescue efforts.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
RSS