72 people dead as Tropical Storm Nalgae strikes Philippines
Tropical Storm Nalgae has caused at least 72 fatalities and 33 injuries in the Philippines, according to the nation’s disaster office today.
After the storm known locally as Paeng made a landfall yesterday with gusts of 75 kilometers per hour (46 miles per hour), 14 more persons are still missing as searches intensify.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council of the Philippines reported that the number of fatalities drastically increased over night, with southern provinces and cities suffering the worst.
On the island of Mindanao, in the city of Cotabatao, where over 67,000 people have been impacted by the storm, a “state of calamity” has been declared.
According to the disaster council, the neighboring town of Upi, which has a population of 60,000, has been completely submerged, forcing thousands of residents to seek higher ground.
Photos and videos of the search and rescue operations showed people trapped on rooftops as well as bodies being dragged from the muck and water.
As Nalgae passes across the major island of Luzon and moves toward the South China Sea, storms are expected to strike the capital Manila and adjacent provinces during the weekend
