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November 2, 2020

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10 killed as typhoon Goni hits Philippines

Source: AP | 00:05 UTC+8 November 2, 2020 | Print Edition

A POWERFUL super typhoon slammed into the eastern Philippines with ferocious winds yesterday, killing at least 10 people and causing volcanic mudflows to bury houses before weakening as it blew toward Manila, where the capital’s main airport was shut down.

Typhoon Goni hit the island province of Catanduanes at dawn with sustained winds of 225 kilometers per hour and gusts of 280 kph. It was barreling west toward densely populated regions, including Manila, and rain-soaked provinces still recovering from a typhoon that hit a week ago and killed at least 22 people.

Governor Al Francis Bichara said at least four people were killed in his hard-hit province of Albay, including a father and son who were in a rural community that was hit by mudflows and boulders swept down from Mayon Volcano by heavy rains.

Villagers fled to safety as the typhoon approached, but the two apparently stayed put, he said.

“The child was found 15 kilometers away,” Bichara said, adding that the child was swept away by mudflows and floodwaters.

Three other villagers, including one pinned down by a tree, were killed in Albay, the Office of Civil Defense said.

Ricardo Jalad, who heads the government’s disaster-response agency, said the typhoon’s destructive force was capable of causing major damage.

“There are so many people who are really in vulnerable areas,” he said.

The Philippine weather agency reinforced those concerns, saying that within 12 hours after the typhoon blasted into shore, people would experience “catastrophic, violent winds and intense to torrential rainfall.”

Residents were warned of likely landslides, massive flooding, storm surges of up to 5 meters and powerful winds. But some refused to heed the warnings.

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