(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 (KUNA) -- The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines has risen to 66, authorities said Wednesday, as residents in the hardest-hit Cebu province began clearing homes and businesses after the worst flooding in decades.
Deputy Civil Defense Director Raffy Alejandro told local radio DZMM that Cebu alone recorded 49 fatalities, with 26 people still missing.
Floodwaters have started to recede, but clearing debris-blocking roads remains a major challenge, he explained, noting that the province received 183 millimeters of rain within 24 hours, surpassing its monthly average of 131 millimeters.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction Council reported that the typhoon affected about 706,000 people, displacing more than 436,000 into evacuation centers. Fifty-three local governments have declared a state of calamity.
Separately, a military Super Huey helicopter crashed in northern Mindanao while en route to Butuan City for relief operations, killing six crew members.
Typhoon Kalmaegi, locally known as Tino, is moving westward toward Palawan Island with winds of 120 kilometers per hour and gusts up to 165 kilometers per hour. The storm is expected to exit Philippine territory by Thursday. (end)
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