With wind speeds of up to 95 kilometers per hour, tropical storm “Nalgae” is heading for the Philippine city of Manila. 5000 rescue workers are on duty. After a correction in the number of deaths from 72 to 45 cases, the number of victims threatens to rise again.
Tropical storm Nalgae hit the Philippines with full force on Saturday. It swept across the main island of Luzon with wind speeds of up to 95 kilometers per hour, having previously hit the sparsely populated island of Catanduanes. In the run-up to the tropical storm, heavy rainfall from Thursday evening had led to flooding and landslides, especially on the island of Mindanao.
According to new official information, at least 45 people died in total. The authorities thus corrected the number of deaths significantly downwards: previously they had repeatedly mentioned higher numbers of victims, most recently 72 deaths. Some of the fatalities were incorrectly counted twice, the authorities now explained. However, the number threatened to continue to rise.
The mayor of the city of Datu Odin Sinsuat, Lester Sinsuat, told AFP news agency that there could be more than a hundred deaths. Local civil defense chief Naguib Sinarimbo said the city had been buried under rocks and mud for more than a day.
Head of state Ferdinand Marcos Jr. criticized civil defense and local authorities on Saturday for the large number of victims in Mindanao. “It will be important for us to look back and see why this happened. Why did we fail to evacuate them? Why do we have such a high casualty count?”
Meanwhile, the state weather service announced that the center of “Nalgae” could reach the metropolis of Manila during the day. “If it’s not necessary and important, we shouldn’t take to the streets today because it’s dangerous and could harm us,” said Rafaelito Alejandro, head of national civil protection. 5,000 rescue teams are on standby, he added.
According to the Civil Protection Agency, more than 7,000 people were evacuated before the storm hit. Because of the rough seas, the Coast Guard also stopped ferry services in large parts of the country. Hundreds of ships and thousands of passengers were affected. According to the competent authority, more than a hundred flights were canceled.
The Philippines is hit by an average of around 20 typhoons and storms each year. As a result, people regularly die, livestock perish and crops, houses, roads and bridges are destroyed.